Keep No Secrets, Tell No Lies
by Logan Parker
Summary: A car accident may have took the Curtis' parents, but it's the secret they leave behind that really takes them by surprise. Rated T for language. Now Complete.
1. Chapter 1: Please

Based off of the Book, _The Outsiders_, by S.E. Hinton

This is my very first attempt at Fan Fiction. If you see any mistakes, or have any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks,

Logan Parker

Chapter 1: Please (Darry's Point of View)

"Are you mad at me?" He asks, pulling me out of my trance. I look down at the pale and shaky man in the hospital bed. His eyes are glazed over with some kind of sadness I've never seen before. His face is bruised and his body is fragile, fighting with the whiteness of the sheets. I remember when he used to be strong and stern and brilliant. When he would lift me up on his shoulders so I could see the men in football jerseys scattering amongst the field. This man wasn't my father. He was shriveled heartache in my father's body.

"No, I'm not mad at you." I answer. Of course that's a lie. Of course I'm mad at him. How could I not be? Him keeping something like this from me. I feel like I should have known. Like I should have caught on. Like it didn't matter if I didn't, because he should have told me. I was his son. I am his son. There's no 'was' about it.

"I didn't tell you, because your mother-" He says, reading my mind. He chokes up at the mention of my mom. I can't blame him. I simply find it odd how two syllables can strangle you up so badly. "She didn't want me to tell." He finishes. I nod, pretending like I understand. Pretending like I understand anything that's been going on for the past few days.

"She said, it'd be too hard on you guys. She said…." He states, grimacing. I'm not sure if it's from the pain or from the memory, or both. But I listen. I listen, not having anything else to do. "She said she'd just go away for a while. She'd leave when it got obvious, and come back once it was over. She didn't want to hurt any of you. But we just weren't ready. We just couldn't handle another child."

I wipe the sweat from my palms on my jeans and continue to stare at the helpless man before me. It's freezing in the hospital, made worse by the bland nature of it, but I'm so angry I could burst. I feel like bursting too, into a million pieces and scattering all over the tile floor. But I can't. My father needs me. He's hurt. He's dying. And he needs me.

"We were going to tell you. Honest we were. But then this accident happened and now…now I'll never know my son. Darry." He says, stating my name for the first time in a while. "Please find him. Please."

Please. That was the last thing he ever said to me. Please. How could I hear those words, see his face, and not promise that I would? But I didn't. I promised nothing. Not aloud anyways. But in my head, I made a secret vow. A vow to find this kid. This brother I never knew.


	2. Chapter 2: Lying, Dying, Parents

Chapter 2: Dying, Lying, Parents (Darry's Point of View)

Explaining the conversation with Dad to Soda and Pony, is harder than explaining the death of our father. There are so many things I can't answer, so many looks I can't return. I keep telling them, I don't know. And I'm not lying. I honestly and truly don't.

"So…what? I mean, are we going to find him?" Soda asks, his eyes still red from crying. We're home now, and it feels so empty I could cry. Could, but won't. I shake my head, then nod my head, then shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know. I mean yes. We'll find him." I tell him. I'm not sure why I sound so sure of myself. I have a name, and I have a city. But not much else. Even if I, we, do find him, then what? He's twelve, not five. I'm sure he'll already have parents, and a home, and a life. It would less painful for him to never know about us, than to be dragged into our world of lying, dying parents. But I'll drag him into it anyways. Because he's my brother. Our brother. And already I feel responsible for him.

"What's his name?" Pony asks. "How old is he?" Pony looks like he might fall asleep at any moment, but I don't bother him. For some reason I feel safer with the three of us sitting together on the couch in the living room with every light in the house on. I'm not sure hwy.

"Skywriter." I answer. "He's twelve." Skywriter. Like a plane that carves letters out of smoke in the sky. I'm not sure why I even think of that, but move on quickly, thinking about what this kid might be like. What kind of home he was from. A soc maybe?

"Where does he live?" Soda asks, his dirty blond hair falling over his eyes. He subconsciously pushes it away.

"In Broken Arrow." I answer. How ironic the name seems at this time.

"Broken Arrow? Darry, that's an hour away tops!" Pony states. I nod my head. It's true. It scared me and excited me at the same time. We sat, at this very moment, an hour away from a kid that was our brother. I remember back to the time that Mom had stated she was going to visit her sick aunt. She stayed gone for about six months, leaving me with the conclusion that she was three months pregnant when she ran. I still don't understand why she ran. It just doesn't make sense.

"Guys it's late." I state. It's two in the morning, and I feel a lot more tired than I look. I hope I don't look that tired at least. Pony and Soda nod, and head off to bed. I remain on the couch for a moment, staring at my hands. Skywriter. What a name.


	3. Chapter 3: What Reason?

Chapter 3: What Reason?

Two weeks later: Pony's POV

We got back from court two days ago, where the judge gave Darry legal guardianship of Soda and I. Since I'm only fourteen, and Soda sixteen, we can't live on our own yet. We were all kind of worried about whether or not they would let Darry keep us, since he's only twenty, but the judge said that it was fine, as long as we stay out of trouble. I can't help but wonder how long that'll last.

We've all been thinking about this kid lately. It's strange, because you'd think with everything going on right now, that Darry wouldn't even think twice about him. But it's the exact opposite. He's been doing everything he can to find him. I have a pretty good idea that Darry knows more than he's letting us onto. But that's just how Darry is. Especially since we lost our parents.

Johnny, Two-bit, and I, are walking home from the movies. I can hardly even remember what the movie was like, considering I was too busy thinking about this Skywriter kid. I've never had a little brother before, and I kind of think it would be neat. Darry keeps saying that he probably has another family, which would be good anyhow, since I'm not sure we have the money to support another kid. Darry already has to work two jobs as it is. But knowing him, he'll want to take care of the kid anyways. He kind of a control freak.

"What's on your mind Ponyboy?" Johnny asks. I look up at him, startled to see that we're already at my house. I shrug and sit down on my front porch. Two-bit and Johnny follow my lead.

"I don't know. Nothing important." I lie. I'm not sure why I keep thinking about this anyways. I guess I can sometimes be dramatic. He's just another kid. Probably some rich stuck up that'll want nothing to do with us.

"Thinkin' 'bout that kid again?" Two-bit asks. I give him a half-smile and nod.

"I just can't understand why my folks wouldn't tell us about him. I mean…maybe they had their reasons, but I just can't see why they would give their kid away. Not to mention going through all that trouble to make sure we didn't find out about him." I answer. He nods like he understands.

"Well, I'm sure that whatever their reason was, it was a good one." Johnny tells me. I sigh and tell him he's probably right. He better be right anyways.


	4. Chapter 4: Cruise Control

Thanks for the tip about adding more detail about the friend's reactions. I didn't even think about that.

Chapter 4: Cruise Control (Steve's Point of View)

I couldn't believe the words coming out of Soda's mouth. There was another brother? Really and honestly, I can't believe he isn't more angry at his parents. I mean sure, he's parents are dead. And he was never one to hold a grudge, but how could you go about keeping something like this from your own kids? If you ask me, it didn't make sense at all. Luckily, he didn't want to know my opinion.

"So…I mean…do you know anything about him at all?" I ask down to Soda, who's buried underneath a blue mustang. Nice car, really.

"Not really. Just his name. His age. Where he lives." He answers. "Shit, can you hand me a towel, this car nearly sliced my hand open." I reach around behind me to the toolbox, and grab the oil-stained towel on top of it.

"Here." I say, handing it to him. I couldn't believe how calm he was about it. It was like we were talking about the goddamned weather or something.

"Yeah but I mean…have you talked to him? I mean, Sodapop, this is big! You have another brother that your parents never told you about! It's like…a script from a sitcom or something. How the hell come something like this happen? I mean, you had to ask yourself questions when your Mom suddenly gained a hundred pounds!" I said. He pulled himself out from underneath the car and gave me an exasperated look.

"Look, I really don't know, okay? You're my best friend, and I'm telling you everything I know. My mom…she went away to visit my aunt that was sick. Or at least that what's she told us-" He explains.

"And you guys didn't question it at all! I mean, golly, pal. What'd she say, 'bye guys I'm visiting Aunt Lucy, see ya in six months?!'" I exclaim.

"Steve…I really don't want to talk about it okay? I don't know why she did what she did. Hell, if it weren't for this accident, I still wouldn't know about him." Soda answers, looking tired. I shake my head, as if that would do any good.

"So…are you guys gonna see em'?" I ask. He shrugs.

"What would we say? 'Hi we're your brothers, please forgive our parents for not wanting you.'?" He asks.

"It's a start." I tell him.

Darry's Point of View

I left a note to Pony and Soda saying I would be working late. I hate to lie, but I couldn't tell the truth, and I didn't want them coming with me. Broken Arrow is an hour away, which meant an hour back, and I still don't know what I'm going to do when I get there. I tell myself I'm going there just to see what the kid looks like, and where he lives. I only hope I'm not lying to myself as well.

Because of traffic, it ends up taking about an hour and a half to get there. I have the address jotted down on a piece of paper I took from the hospital, and when I turn onto Lake Wood Drive, I'm surprised at what I see. It's not exactly the kind of neighborhood you would want to leave your car unlocked in. Or outside even. If I the neighborhood I live is bad, then this is hell itself, because it looks like the place was built especially for convicted criminals. I pull up beside a dilapidated ranch home, that's the right address, and I notice how dead everything looks. It's depressing really. There's a basketball goal in the driveway, covered with rust, and I wonder if Skywriter likes to play. I couldn't be too sure. I slowly pass the house, turn around in the cul-de-sac, and park across the street from the house. Now what?, I think to myself. I'm not going to knock on the door, so why in the world did I drive an hour and a half to see a junk-yard of a house? Just then, the garage door opens, and a green van with a busted fendor pulls out. It pulls down the driveway, and then slams on brakes, as the kid in the passenger seat jumps out.

"Lexan, get back in this van right now!" The lady in the driver's seat yells, hopping out as well. She looks like a stripper, with dark eyeliner, bad hair, and a short skirt. The kid looks young, with really blond hair. So blond it was almost white.

"Fuck you!" The kid screams, and I'm taken aback. It wasn't what I was expecting from the boy. I knew what kind of trouble I would be in if I had ever said that to my own mother. But looking at this lady, she wasn't old enough to be his mother. Maybe twenty-five at the most.

"I mean it Sky!" The lady screams, following the kid around the car. I kind of tense up at the name, knowing now that this is the kid I've been looking for. I study him closer. It's hard to take in details from across the street, but I can see he's a lot shorter than Pony. Five foot at the tallest, and probably with blue eyes. Looks more like our Mom than our Dad. It was weird, thinking our, instead of mine.

"I mean it too. You can go to hell for all I care!" The kid answers, turning around to glare at the woman. She huffs, gets into the van, and drives away. Skywriter flicks her off as she drives down the street, then stomps into the house, slamming the door.

Then it hit me. He was in there alone.


	5. Chapter 5: Bad Acting

Chapter 5: Bad Acting (Soda's Point of View)

Darry had left a note saying he was going to be late. I'm not sure how late, late is, but he normally gets off work at six, and now it's six thirty. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have left a note if he wasn't going to be out as late as ten or so. I can't help but wonder where he is. Maybe he met a girl and doesn't want to tell us about it. I almost laugh at the thought.

"Let's go to the lot. Play some football." Two-bit says from the couch. The gang is all over, like always, and Two-bit has been trying to get us to do something for the past hour. Really though, we're all too tired to do anything. I go to school, then go to work, and by the time I get off, I'm wiped. I'm seriously considering dropping out of high school though, since I'm not any good at it, but I'll wait until things have settled down a bit. I think Darry could use the help anyways.

"Nah, too tired." I answer from the kitchen, where I'm boiling noodles for spaghetti.

"You guys are boring." Two-bit announces, sighing with disappointment. Dally rolls his eyes and flips through the TV channels, for at least the forth time.

"I would play with you, but we can't play football with two people." Pony tells him.

"Thanks buddy. At least there's one person here that isn't a couch potato." Two-bit answers, glaring at the rest if the guys.

"Would you guys shut up. You're giving me a headache." Steve yells.

"Well, maybe you should try not getting drunk some time. Then you won't have to worry about hangovers." I call from the kitchen.

"Nah, not worth it." Two-bit tells me. I shake my head and drain the pasta.

"You guys eatin' here tonight?" I ask. I really don't need to ask, since I know they are, but I always do anyways.

"Yep." Dally and Steve call.

"Johnny, Two-bit?" I call. They both nod.

"You guys are a lively bunch." I mutter.

"So, about that kid-" Two-bit starts. I huff with annoyance.

"Can we not talk about that?" I interrupt.

"Why don't you ever want to talk about it?" Steve asks, looking semi-concerned. I shrug, trying to seem casual.

"It's just…maybe everyone's making a bigger deal out of it, then it actually is. He's just a kid." I answer. I honestly don't know why it bugs me so much.

"He's out brother." Pony states without looking at me. "I think it's kind of cool."

"Well I think it's kind of nuts." Dally answers. "Your parents seemed like the last people to keep something like this from their kids."

"Okay, dinner's ready!" I call, hoping to end the conversation. Somehow though, I don't think I'll be that lucky.

Darry's Point of View

It's nearly seven and I'm still sitting in this truck, thinking about what I should do. God, how pathetic is that? He's a kid. He's in that house. Why not just walk right up to the door and knock? Then, what? What would I say? I don't want to come right out and tell him everything. He'll think I'm crazy for sure. I'll think I'm crazy. Slowly, I get out of the truck, making sure it's locked, and walk across the street to the sickly ranch house. I pause at the drive way, look back over my shoulder, then make my way up to the front stairs. It's ridiculous how scared I am. I wasn't even this scared when out parents died. I hope Pony and Soda are in the house. I shake my head, trying to stay focused.

The lights are on in the house, as well as loud music. Really loud music. It reminds me of our house in Tulsa. Always loud and obnoxious. I can hear people's voices too. More than one. Maybe three or four. I slowly knock on the door. I shove my hands in my pockets and wait, then knock again when no one answers.

"Hold the fuck on!" I hear someone scream. "I'm comin'!" The door swings open and a kid about Pony's age, with jet black hair, stands staring at me. His hair is parted down the middle, and brushed over to each side. His eyes are really brown, which clashes with his pale skin.

"What?" He asks. Man is he ever rude.

"I'm a uh…a friend of your-" Of their what, I think. "Mother. I was wondering if I could" I tell him.

"Yeah, get in. But listen I don't know how long she'll be. She's in a bitchy mood." He informs me, standing back to let me in. I'm so surprised that it takes me a second to follow him in.

"She's not my mother either. Luckily, no kid has gotta say she's their mother. Fuckin' slut." He mutters as an after thought. "You sleepin' with her?" He asks. I follow him through the cluttered living room and into the kitchen that's practically clouded with cigarette smoke.

"Uh…no. Just a friend." I answer after a moments hesitation.

"She thinks she can just run everyone's life to her own goddamned satisfaction." Skywriter vents to a cute, blond girl. She's not as blond as him by any means, and I don't even think it's her natural color, but she's pretty nonetheless. He doesn't even seem to notice me. As a matter of fact, none of the five kids in the room seem to notice me much, besides an odd glance or glare.

"Who the hell are you? Another lover?" A red-headed boy of about sixteen asks. He has more freckles than anyone I've ever seen before.

"Naw, he's just a friend." The dark-haired kid says sarcastically. Man what I would give to knock them both out.

"And who are you guys?" I ask. I can't believe how quite and scared I sound. I'm at least twice the size of everyone in this room. Skywriter walks to the fridge and takes out a beer, chugging it in a matter of seconds.

"The kids that are stuck with er'." Skywriter answers. "God only knows why she decided to be a foster parent." He adds.

"Naw, some other people know as well." The dark-haired kid answers. Skywriter gives a half smile and then reaches for another beer, lighting up a cigarette at the same time. I can't believe this kid.

"Aren't you kind of young to be drinkin'?" I dare to ask. He only looks at me like I'm crazy, and keeps on chugging. Apparently it was a stupid question, but I'm not even old enough to legally drink. He's only twelve.

"So uh…you guys have names?" I ask.

"I'm Danny, you're lovely co-host." The dark-haired kid answers. "That's Charlie." He says pointing to the blond girl. "That's Lexan." He says, referring to Skywriter. "And that's Morgan and Sean." He finishes, pointing out the red-head as Sean, and a skinny, quite girl, as Morgan.

"Lexan. Is that short for something?" I ask, dying to have a conversation with him.

"Nope." He answers quickly. "Just Lexan."

"Or Sky." Charlie adds, which earns her a mean glare from Lexan.

"It's Lexan." He states.

"Lexan Sky?" I ask.

"Skywriter Lexan." Charlie corrects, this time giving Lexan a cocky smile. I can't help but smile with her.

"I don't go by my first name." He informs me, as if I didn't already know.

"How old are you guys?" I ask, trying to seem uninterested.

"Fourteen, fifteen, fourteen, sixteen, fifteen, and twelve." Danny answers, obviously the talkative one of the gang. He kind of gives a smile at Lexan when he mentions his age.

"He's little." He adds, proving my assumption.

"Am not." Lexan sneers, sounding like his age for the first time. I look at the clock to realize that it's already eight, which would make me home by about nine-thirty if I left now. It wasn't something I wanted to do, but I couldn't stay here all night. Pony and Soda would get suspicious.

"Look um, I gotta be goin'. You think I could have your number?" I ask. I got on when they give me a confused look. "So I can call you're um…guardian when she gets back." They continue staring at me funny, but reach for a pencil and paper to write the number down on anyways. I feel weird calling her 'guardian' but she obviously isn't their mother, and I don't know her name.

"It's Kate, by the way." Lexan tells me, handing me the paper and really looking at me good for the first time that night. "Maybe you should find out people's names first before you go and sleep with em'."


	6. Chapter 6: Truth be Told

Chapter 6: Truth be Told (Darry's Point of View)

"I'm so sorry, Darry. I'm so sorry for everything. For what I've done. For what I've put you through. And the boys…God the boys will never forgive me." Mom cries, burying her face into my father's chest.

"The boys won't know. No one will ever know. Okay? Look at me. It'll be okay. I forgive you. It'll be okay." Dad whispers. I sit up in bed and stare at my hands. It was just a dream. Well, no, it's wasn't just a dream, but a memory. I was eight, old enough to know something was wrong. I was standing outside my parents door, going to ask them what was for dinner, but I stopped when I heard my mother crying. It always scared me to see her cry, but instead of turning away, I listened. I was worried. But an hour or so later, we all ate dinner, and everything seemed fine. Mom seemed happy. Happy as usual, like the conversation never happened. That was when she told us she had to visit her aunt. Her aunt was sick and she needed to take care of her. She told us she would be gone for a while, until her aunt got better, and then she'd come home. And that was it. And when she came back, she looked tired, but she was happy as usual. Maybe her smile was a little forced, but she was normal.

"_I didn't tell you, because your mother. She didn't want me to tell."_

I remember those words now and I can nearly stand it.

"Didn't want to tell me what?" I want to scream. "That we have another brother! That you had another son! Why would you keep that from me?" But I can't yell that. Because he's not hear to listen or answer. It just doesn't make sense. I get up out of bed and go to the kitchen, noticing it's only three in the morning. Luckily, last night, Pony and Soda were already inside, and they didn't question why I was out so late. I could tell from Soda's look that he didn't buy the 'working late' note, but he didn't ask.

I make some coffee and sit down at the kitchen table. I think back to yesterday. How stupid I must've seemed. I didn't even tell the kid my name. Not that he asked, or cared to know, but I should have at least told him. It seems easier to take in his features now that I'm back at home. He looked a little like Soda, and he had greenish-grey eyes (not blue) like Pony, but other than that he didn't look much like us. Not at all like dad, but sort of like Mom. Sort of like someone else too if I could only put my finger on it. God that blond hair of his was something else. Only Dally had hair that blond that I knew of. I run my fingers through my hair and sip my coffee. How could my parents do this to me? To us?

Part me wants to forget about it. I have a lot to deal with already with Soda and Pony. So many bills to pay. The funeral wasn't even paid off yet. But then I think about that kid drinkin' and cussin' like he was. That's not normal. And his…Kate. Kate was something else. Not the kind of guardian any kid should have. I wonder how she managed to be a foster parent. There was a familiarity about her though. I'm not exactly sure what it was, and quite frankly, I don't want to know. I'm not sure how many more familiar things I can take.

Dally's Point of View

I'm a good liar and a good actor, and normally this wouldn't bother me at all, but I like Darry. Him and I have been friends for quite a long while, and I don't like keeping' secrets from em'. Especially not with all the shit he's going through right now, but I don't know what I'm supposed to say. I don't want things to change between us, and I know if he knows about this, things will change.

Damn my father is a jackass. The more I think about him, and this whole situation, the more I hate him. I hated him before, but this time he crossed the line. This time, it's over. He's made me lie to my friends, and for that, I'll never forgive him.

Pony's Point of View

It's seven in the morning, and I'm getting ready for school. Soda has already left with Steve, and Darry is making breakfast. He looks like he didn't sleep at all last night.

"You finish all your homework last night?" He asks.

"Yeah." I answer. It's partly-true at least. I didn't finish my math, but everything else was done.

"Sorry I wasn't here last night to help you." He states. I shrug. I know he's just trying to hold a conversation, but I'm not exactly a morning person. He'd probably have more luck holding a conversation with a brick wall.

"You doin' anything after school?" He asks.

"Track." I answer, sitting at the table and eating chocolate cake. "It ends at four. Then, Johnny and I will probably hang out."

"Okay, just uh, make sure you're here by nine." He states. Nine is really early, and normally I would complain, but I'm too tired to deal with it.

"Okay." I answer instead. "How was work?"

"It was long. As usual. But it's okay." He states, sitting down across from me. "Do the dishes when you get home, okay?" He tells me. I nod.

"Are you working late tonight?" I ask. He hesitates, but shakes his head.

"Nope. I'll be home around six." He answers. I look at him and know that he's telling the truth. It's so painfully obvious when he lies.


	7. Chapter 7: Conversation's Kill

Chapter 7: Conversations kill (Skywriter's Point of View)

I keep thinking about what happened a couple hours ago when Kate came home. She wasn't happy at all when I told her about the man who came to visit her. Especially when she found out that I didn't get his name or number.

"What the hell Sky, couldn't you have at least got his name?" She yelled. I had only shrugged, not really knowing what the big deal was. Apparently he wasn't lying when he said he wasn't sleeping with her, because when I described him, she didn't have a clue to who he was. Or at least that's what she said. Though something in her eyes told me otherwise. Her voice too.

"God don't you know not to let people we don't know in our house!" She yelled.

"He said he knew you! You're the one who flew off down the street and stayed gone all night. Besides, like I said before, I didn't let him in. Danny did." I explained, a little irritated at the fact that this was all being blamed on me.

"What did you tell him Sky?" She asked seriously.

"Nothing. Honestly. I told him your name. I gave him our number." I told her.

"You gave him our number! Jesus Lexan! Are you insane?!" She yelled.

"Well, I'm sorry Kate, I thought he was a friend of yours or something. I don't know." I answered. I wasn't sure why she was so upset. She sighed heavily and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Well, did you tell him I was your sister?" She asked finally.

"No. The thought never even crossed my mind." I answered. She looked strangely relieved.

Dally's Point of View

"Did you talk to him?" I ask her anxious.

"Yeah I did." She answers, sounding somewhat relaxed. I'm so nervous I want to reach through the phone and shake everything out of her.

"And?" I ask impatiently.

"And, he said he didn't give him his name or his number." She answers.

"Jesus Kate! Did he tell him anything I need to be worried about?!" I scream.

"Dallas, chill out! No, he didn't tell him anything. He didn't tell him I was his sister." She answers. I let go of the breath I've been holding.

"And he doesn't know-" I start.

"No." She answers, cutting me off. "He doesn't know that you're my brother."


	8. Chapter 8: Insider

Chapter 8: Insider (Pony's Point of View)

After track practice, I walk home from school with Two-bit, and Johnny meets up with us at the lot. Besides me, Two-bit is the only one in the gang that likes school. It's funny too, considering he isn't all that good at it. I don't bug him though, since I know what that's like. Darry seems to think that grades are most important thing in the world. And trust me, it gets annoying.

"So, what's on the schedule for today?" Two-bit asks. His hair is slicked back and greased as always, and he's wearing his favorite Mickey Mouse shirt. I don't know what it is he's sees in that cartoon, but I must be missin' it, 'cause I never found it all that interesting. He loves it though.

"I don't think there's really anything good playing at the movies." I comment. I don't actually know if there's anything good playing or not, but if there is, Darry probably won't let me see it. Most of the movies don't end until eleven, and since Mom and Dad died, he's been real strange about not letting me stay out late on school nights. It's weird how quick he went from being my brother to being my guardian.

"Jeez man, is that all you think about?" Two-bit asks. I smile and shrug.

"You wanna go see Soda and that lazy-bum friend of his?" Two-bit asks. Johnny just walks beside us not saying much. He's like that. I guess I am too sometimes, but it's hard to be quiet around Two-bit. He never stops talking.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" I say. Soda and Steve go straight to the DX after school to work on cars. It's something they're real good at too. I kinda wish I knew something about cars, but I'm completely clueless. Whenever we get bored though, we'll go hang out with them. I can tell it pisses Steve off to no end, but Soda doesn't mind.

"Johnny, that okay with you?" I ask. He nods.

"Yeah, sure, fine." He answers, but I can tell he really doesn't want to. He doesn't like going places with big crowds, and there's always lots of girls at the DX. Some are really cute too.

It doesn't take long to get there, and sure enough, Soda is talking to two girls and givin' them a lesson on changing their oil. I highly doubt either one of them are listening to word he's saying, but he doesn't mind. Two-bit sneaks up behind him, and puts his hands over Soda's eyes.

"Guess who?" Two-bit calls.

"Two-bit, get your filthy hand off of my face!" Soda says playfully, slapping Two-bits hands off of him.

"Damn, you always know." Two-bit says laughing.

"Well, _Keith_, there's only one person who would try to get me to guess who they were, so it's kind of duh!" Soda answers, dodging Two-bits swing.

"Joy, the kids are here." Steve says, coming out to where we're standing.

"Oh, girls, this is Two-bit, Johnny, and my brother Pony. Guys, this is Rachael and Jamie." Soda says introducing us. I barely give them glance.

"Aw, your brother looks like you!" The one named Jamie coos. I don't understand how Soda stands her. Her voice is really annoying.

"Yeah, he kinda does." Soda says smiling.

"Yeah, and we kinda got work to do." Steve says with annoyance. I'm sure most of it is catered to me, but I ignore him.

"Yeah, you guys go do something with your lives. I get off in about two hours anyways." Soda tells us. It's almost three.

"Alright, we'll see ya." Two-bit says, starting off down the road.

"Alright, hey Pony!" Soda calls, I turn around. "Make sure you're inside before dark so Darry doesn't hit the roof." I smile and nod.

"He roofs houses for a livin'!" Two-bit calls over his shoulder. "It's his job!"

Darry's Point of View

When I get home at six, Dally is the only one there. Soda and Steve went out with their girlfriends, and Pony and Johnny were down by the lot. Lord only knew where Two-bit was. Probably getting drunk like always. Actually, I'm kind of surprised to see Dally at our house. It's not like him to be here alone, but when I pull up, he's sittin' in our living room, smoking a cigarette.

"Can't you smoke those outside?" I ask, walking past him to start dinner.

"There's no TV outside." He answers, taking a puff. I roll my eyes and turn the stove on.

"So, you just use my house to smoke and watch TV in?" I kid. He takes the hint and puts the cigarette out.

"Actually, I needed to talk to you." He answers.

"Dallas Winston needs to talk? Jeez man this must be serious!" I say, only partly kidding this time. Dally hardly ever talks about anything serious with anyone. Johnny maybe, but certainly not me.

"Well, I uh…I was wonderin' if you were planning on seein' that kid?" He asks, but he comes out more as a statement. I can feel his eyes see through me, and I leave the kitchen to join him in the living room.

"I…uh, I don't know. You think I should?" I ask. He rubs his hands through his hair and lets out a sigh.

"I don't know. Maybe there's a reason your Mom didn't want you to know about em'." He answers. It's obvious that he didn't need the word 'maybe'.

"Dally…what do ya' mean?" I ask hesitantly. He pulls out a folded white envelope from his jacket pocket and hands it to me.

"Got places to be." he mutters, and walks out the front door.


	9. Chapter 9: Mother May I?

Chapter 9: Mother May I (Dally's Point of View)

I had to. I couldn't keep it a secret any longer. I mean, he had actually seen the kid for God's sake. How long could it be kept a secret? I knew the possible consequences, but I had to do it anyways. So why do I feel like I've made a mistake? Jeez, being a good friend can be so irritating. I'm thinking about getting drunk. Stupid drunk.

Darry's Point of View

I stare at the white envelope like it's a new life form. I'm not sure whether or not I want to open it, or what it could contain. I'm so sick of all these mysteries. What the hell did Dally have to do with any of it? What the hell. I open it up and remove the folded notebook paper inside. I run my fingers along it, knowing once I read this, there's no forgetting it. I unfold it anyways.

_Alex Winston,_

It starts out. That's Dallas's father. A real pain in the ass if you ask me. But it's my mother's handwriting. I keep reading.

_I've made a huge mistake. I knew I had the moment it happened, but I didn't know the price for it would be so big. I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant, and I can't believe it. I'm pregnant, I can't believe it, and it's yours. Oh god what am I going to do? I have to tell Darrel. It breaks my heart to even think about it. But it's not fair to him, or to the boys. I don't know what to do. It hurts to know that I can't even hate you. I did this to myself. I'll handle it alone._

_Sarah Curtis_

I've read it four times now and I'm still lost. I'm not stupid, I understand what it says, but how? How could she do that to my father? To us? My mother would never do this. I know she wouldn't. But she did and that's just it. She cheated on my father, lied to us, and gave away her child. I crumple up the letter and shove it in my pocket. Now what? I look at the clock, it's eight-thirty. Pony and soda will be home soon. What do I tell them? That Mom cheated on Dad? That our brother was Dallas's brother?

That our brother was Dallas's brother.

I rush into my room and pick up the piece of paper with Skywriter's phone number on it. I pick up the phone, dial the numbers, and wait for it to ring.

Skywriter's Point of View

The phone rings for the third time, meaning that I have to answer it since I'm the only one home. I lift myself off the couch and stumble over to the table the phone is sitting on. Whoever the hell this is, better have a good reason for calling. My head is pounding like no other.

"What?" I answer meanly, holding my head with the hand that isn't clutching the phone.

"Skywriter?" The person asks. His voice is so loud it makes the room spin.

"Shh…speak softer. My head it killin' me!" I tell him.

"Hey…are you okay?" He asks. I give the phone an 'are you kidding me' look that I remember he can't see.

"You didn't wake me up from my hangover-induced sleep to ask if I was okay, did you?" I ask, getting ready to cuss this guy out.

"No, kid. I uh…I just wanted to talk. Remember, I came over a few nights ago to see Kate?" He asks.

"Oh yeah. She's not here." I say, about to hang up the phone.

"No, I know. I wanted to talk to you." He tells me. I moan and roll my eyes.

"Look man, I have a girlfriend. I'm not gay." I say. I hear him laugh, and I wonder what's going on.

"It's not like that. I'm not gay either." He answers. I sigh in relief. That's really nice to know.

"Then what do you want?" I ask, sounding meaner than I intended. I'm actually quite curious now.

"Do you know who your parents are?" He asks. I kind of tense up and feel myself turn red, but I try to control myself.

"Why do you wanna know?" I ask, this time sounder nicer than I wanted to.

"Just…can you tell me? Do you know?" He asks. I wish I could hit this guy. Who did he think he was.

"Alex Winston is my Dad. Hints the name Lexan. You know, from Alexander?" I say. I continue when he doesn't say anything. "I don't know about my Mom." I admit.

"Her name is Sarah. Sarah Curtis." He answer. My jaw almost drops before I can catch it.

"What do you mean? How do you know?" I ask, hoping not to sound to anxious. It's not everyday someone tells you who your Mom is.

"Because…" He says, pausing for what seems like a century. "Because she's my mom too."


	10. Chapter 10: Love Affair

Chapter 10: Love Affair (Soda's Point of View)

As soon as I walk into the house, I can tell something is wrong. First off, it's quiet, which is completely out of the ordinary. Second of all, Darry is sitting on the couch with his head in hands and the phone sitting beside him. He looks up when he hears me come in.

"Where's Pony?" He asks. I'm not surprised that's the first thing he asks either.

"He's comin'. Him and Two-bit are on their way right now." I tell him, sitting down beside him. He doesn't say anything until Two-bit and Pony get inside.

"You guys, I need to talk to you." He says. Pony looks at me nervously, and I return the glance. The last time Darry said that, it was to tell us that are parents were dead.

"Look um…You know this kid…this Skywriter kid? Well, I talked to him." He states.

"You talked to him?" I ask incredulously.

"When?!" Pony asks.

"Tonight. And…another time before. I drove to see him-" He starts.

"You drove to see him and didn't tell us!" I yell, cutting him off.

"I know, I just wanted to be sure…listen, I'm sorry about that. But I want you guys to know, that he knows now. I told him." He answers.

"You told him what?" Pony asks slowly.

"I told him we had the same mother." He states evenly. He looks really tired but also a little relaxed.

"You mean the same parents." I state. He shakes his head.

"I mean the same mother. That's why Mom went away. That's why she didn't want us to know." He answers.

"She cheated on Dad?!" Pony yells.

"Pony, calm down. Yeah, she did. She was real sorry for it, but it happened and she got pregnant-" He tries to explain.

"With who?" Two-bit asks, surprising us all.

"With um…" Darry says hesitating. "With Alex Winston." I've never heard a room get so quiet. It seemed like an hour before anyone spoke again.

"He's our half brother. And he's Dally's half brother." Darry says, as if we were too stupid to put two and two together.

"How'd you find out?" I ask him, still in shock.

"Dally told me." Darry answers.

"He told you? You mean he knew?! This whole time!" I yell.

"Yeah, he knew, this whole time." Darry states, and the room is back to being quiet again.

"So uh…" Two-bit says, "When do we meet him?"

Skywriter's Point of View

"You talked to him!" Kate screams, flinging her purse down on the kitchen floor. It hadn't been more than fifteen minutes since I had hung up the phone with Darry, when she walked in the door.

"Wait, you can't yell at me! You have no right to be angry at me! This whole time I had three brothers that you knew about, and you never told me!" I scream right back.

"Because-" She starts, but then stops, sitting down on the kitchen floor. I give her an odd look, but sit down beside her anyways.

"Because Darry, Soda, and Pony didn't know about you either. Their mom slept with out dad and got pregnant. She felt guilty. She didn't want her sons to know." She states.

"But I was her son too! And now I'll never get to meet her!" I yell. But I'm not angry at Kate, just at my mother. How could she do this?

"I know. I didn't say I agreed with what she did. But that's just how it happened. She didn't want anyone to know, so she sent you to live with our aunt. When I came of age, you know, I wanted to take care of you. I would have told you, but Dally made me swear I wouldn't. He didn't want to hurt-" She says.

"You know what? Fuck all of them! She cheated on her husband, got pregnant, gave her son away, and no one ever told me! And she never told anyone either! Damn it, how could she do that?!" I scream, finally losing all patience.

"I know. I know Lexan. I'm sorry. I didn't want you to find out this way. Dally told me that Darry knew about you, and he thought maybe you guys could meet without Darry, Soda, and Pony ever knowing about the affair. But then he came, and Dally got worried. He thought maybe you told him I was his sister. He knew that eventually they'd find out you were his brother, so he just decided to tell the truth. There was nothing I could do. Please don't be mad at me." She begs, crying into her hands. I huff in frustration and put my hands on her shoulders.

"Okay, I'm not mad at you. I just…wish someone would have told me. I'm mad at my mom, not at you." I tell her. She smiles and looks up at me.

"How about we go see them all?" She asks. "I'm sure they all want to meet you."

"Yeah." I answer. "I'm sure they're thrilled to meet the living proof of their mother's affair."


	11. Chapter 11: school Prank

Chapter 10: School Prank (Dally's Point of View)

I step into the Curtis's house, not really knowing what to expect. I'm glad that everything is on the table, and there isn't a huge secret between us, but I also know they're probably angry as hell. I mean, they have every right to be, keeping something this big away from them. A brother. _Our _brother. How weird. When I walk in, everyone does look at me, but not angrily. I think they still need me to answer questions before they decide to kill me.

"Hey Dally." Darry says. His friendliness is forced I can tell, but I don't care.

"Hey. How's everyone been?" I ask, trying to steer away from awkward silence. They all look at me before forcing more smiles.

"Good. Everything with you?" Soda asks.

"Aw, cut the crap. Say what ya' wanna say." I tell him.

"We're not mad at you Dally. We understand why you didn't tell us." Darry says, giving the others a look that says they best agree. I can't help but laugh.

"Hey look, uh…Lexan is comin' over later." I try to say causally.

"What?" Ponyboy yells. Darry and Soda look just as shocked.

"Yes, Par-ty!" Two-bit yells. "I'll get the beer!"

"What do you mean?" Darry asks.

"Look, him and Kate are comin' to see me . If you guys don't wanna meet em', that's fine. He'll understand." I tell them.

"No, we do." Darry says.

"Yeah, it's just…you couldn't have told us earlier?" Soda asks.

"Well, ya know, they just told me this morning. The won't be 'ere for a couple hours, so you have time to get dolled up if ya like. I wouldn't suggest it though. Darry knows what Lexan is like." I say, laughing when I think about the kid. "He's damn honest and it's not his life goal to impress everyone else."

"Yeah. You know he drinks?" Darry says.

"Yeah of course. Dar, is that all you think about? Stopin' the kid from comin' a drunk? Don't bother, he won't listen. He's as stubborn as any of us." I tell him, knowing he won't listen.

"Well see about that." Darry mutters. I can't help but think what a fight that's going to be.

Skywriter's Point of View

I'm kind of nervous. When Kate says that's we're ten minutes away, I start having second doubts. I mean, I'm not one to get afraid of people, but this is kind of different. When we pull onto their street, I can tell that they probably have a lot of the same problems that we have in our neighborhood. It's not fancy or anything, though I have to say, it's a lot cleaner.

"You ready?" Kate says, looking at me excitedly. I have that gnawing feel in the put of my stomache and I really hope I don't throw up. God, what is wrong with me?

"Yeah, ready." I say, lighting up a cigarette. She laughs, and I know it's 'cause she knows I'm nervous, but she doesn't say anything. That's good too considering I might cuss er' out if she does. We walk up the stairs to their house and you can hear their laughing and joking from outside on the porch. I wipe my hands on my jeans and take another drag on my cigarette before throwing it out. I refuse to let these suckers know I'm nervous. Kate knocks on the door and my stomach does flips when Dally opens it.

"Hey kid, c'mon in." He says in that all-too-happy kind of way. I know they purposefully got him to open the door, and I'm kinda glad.

"You already met Darry." Dally says as I follow him inside. "That's Two-bit, Johnny, and Steve." Dally says, pointing them out.

"Great, another kid. That's exactly what I need." Steve mutters, and I can't really tell if he's joking or not. Dally glares at him, which pisses me off. I can handle myself.

"And those two kids are your other big brothers." He tells me. It's sounds so weird to hear him say that.

"I'm Soda. That's Pony." Soda, the older one, informs me. At least I didn't get those names, I think to myself. It takes all my energy not to say it out loud.

"Is there a Peace or a Love too?" I ask instead, and it's clear as soon as I say it that no one understands what I'm asking.

"Forget it. Hey." I say quickly, taking out another cigarette and lighting it.

"You kind of look like Soda. And you have green eyes like Pony." Two-bit tells me. I decide right away that I like him. He reminds me of Danny.

"They're actually more grey." I tell him. He laughs, as well as Pony, Soda, and Darry. I don't really find it that funny though.

"That's what I always say." Pony explains, clearing it up. Great, just perfect. Now we're saying the same things.

"Um…sit down." Darry says, making room on the couch. Everyone is kind of nervous I can tell, and I do my best not to laugh. I sit down, only because I'm trying not to be rude, and Kate sits beside me.

"Oh yeah, guys, this is Kate." Dally says, as an after thought. "My sister." She nods and smiles but doesn't say anything.

"You like Mickey?" Two-bit asks. I look at him with confusion.

"Aw Two-bit, don't start with the Mickey thing!" Johnny says, really surprising me. It's the first thing he's said since I got here.

"What's wrong with him?" Two-bit asks with false hurt. Darry shakes his head and goes into the kitchen.

"Do you like chocolate cake?" He calls, already taking it out of the freezer. What's with these people? They're so random it's scary.

"Um, no." I answer, and everyone looks at me. Especially Kate, since she knows I love it.

"I'm allergic." I explain. Soda looks at me surprised.

"To what?" He asks.

"Food. I don't eat." I state. They all continue staring at me.

"Lexan!" Kate scolds. "He's kidding." Dally laughs and Steve rolls his eyes, but the others look like they still don't get it.

"I should have gone with the Vegan joke." I state. Kate smiles but shakes it off quickly.

"So um…where do you go to school?" Darry asks, giving up on the cake and coming into the living room. It was such a quick change that I had to think for a minute to understand what he was saying.

"Oh uh…I'm not goin' right now." I say.

"He was, but he was suspended. So, I mean, he'll go back." Kate says hurriedly.

"You got suspended?" Johnny asks. I nod. What else could I do?

"It was the principal's fault really. He such a fuckin' prick." I say. They all just stare at me. Damn I'm really bad at this.

"Okay uh, so here's what happened. The principal had it out for a friend of mine, so the two us decided we would play a little prank. Nothing harmful or nothing. We just decided we would roll his office. So, it was Saturday and the two of us had soccer practice-" I say.

"You play soccer?" Pony asks. I look at him like he's crazy.

"No, we just go to soccer practice cause' we're bored with our lives." I say sarcastically. He seems confused at first, but smiles a second later, and I take the chance to go on.

"So, we had soccer practice, and we told the coach that we didn't feel too good, so he told us to go sit down a while. We went in the school through the gym, my friend, Danny, picked the lock to the principal's door, and we carried out our plan. And, it all would've been fine, had my friend not been a complete dumb ass and decided to smoke. Of course, he threw the cigarette out in the trash, and the can took fire. We tried to put it out, but the smoke alarms went off before we could and, that's how we got caught." I finish. The guys think it's pretty funny, even Kate laughs at the telling of it, but Darry doesn't look amused at all.

"Dude man, that's fuckin' awesome!" Steve comments.

"I know, I wish I coulda been there!" Two-bit exclaims. "Pony, we got a plan on Monday."

"Oh hell no you don't!" Darry snaps. Pony stifles a laugh.

"C'mon guys, don't encourage him." Dally says, but he's smiling too.

"Yeah, he's right. It was stupid and something like that could've got him in a lot more trouble. Pony and Soda would be grounded for the rest of their lives if they ever did something that stupid." Darry says.

"Man, is he always so stiff?" I ask, ignoring Darry's glare.

"Don't look at me kid." Dally answers. "He's _your_ big brother."


	12. Chapter 12: Child Support

Chapter 12: Child Support (Darry's Point of View)

I have to admit that the kid is something else. He doesn't act at all like I would expect a twelve year old to act, but I guess that's part of having Dallas as a brother. I can't help but wonder how much time Dally has actually spent with the kid, since they do live an hour or so apart. Speaking of Dally, he's been on edge all day. I know it's 'cause he's expecting us to blow up at him, but I've decided I'm not going to. I mean, sure, I'm mad. But I don't think it's fair to be mad at him. After all, he wasn't the one that slept with my mom.

"Shit! It's a good thing we're not playin' with money or I'd be broke." Lexan yells. He and the guys are playing poker, and he really isn't all that good. He sure has a mouth on him though. I'm glad that him and Soda and Pony are getting along. Pony is taken to him the most. I think it's because Pony's never had a younger brother. I just hope he doesn't pick up any of Lexan bad habits.

"Here, deal me in." Kate says, sitting down beside Soda. She's still dressed like stripper, but I'm coming to the conclusion that maybe that's just her style. Or I don't know, maybe she is one. I'm not sure I like her very much though. She's not that great of a guardian, letting Lexan drink and cuss like she does. She seems nice enough though, and I don't say anything bad about her since she's Lexan and Dally's sister.

"Hey Lexan, you think you can get over you allergies for a night, and have dinner with us?" I call from the kitchen. He looks at me, and then at Kate.

"It's up to her, she's my ride." He answers finally, resuming his card game.

"It's fine with me." She answers.

"Hey uh, you guys want to stay the night?" Dally asks. I shoot him a concerned look.

"I mean, at my house. Dad's out of town for a while, gone who knows where, so you won't have to worry about him." Dally explains.

"Sure, that's fine." Kate answers, giving me a friendly wink. I think she knows she's not on my good side. Lexan on the other hand, doesn't seem to have a clue.

"Why don't you stay here?" Pony asks Lexan. I'm surprised that he asked that, since Pony is so quiet and Lexan…isn't. I wouldn't guess they'd get along.

"Um…okay." He actually answers. "If that's okay with Darry." He adds. I'm just glad that he's calling me by my name now, instead of referring to me as _your brother _like he has been.

"Is that okay?" Pony asks me.

"Sure." I answer after some hesitation.

"You can say no if you want." Lexan tells me. I knew I had waited too long before answering.

"No it's okay. Really. It's fine." I tell him, sounding like a wind-up doll. Dally must sense my nervousness, because he comes into the kitchen to 'help me with dinner'.

"Hey, you okay?" He asks, smiling as he slaps my back. I nod.

"Yep, fine." I answer unconvincingly. Kate comes in here a second later.

"Watcha cookin'?" She asks.

"Just roast, mashed potatoes, that sort of thing." I answer, running my fingers through my hair. She gives me a sideways glance, then looks at Dally.

"Hey, ya know, after that stunt Lexan pulled at his old school, it might take a while for him to be able to go back. Maybe he would like to go to Pony's school." Kate states, taking silverware and actually setting the table.

"Really?" I ask, looking at Lexan who is still playing cards with the guys.

"Yeah, I don't think he would mind." She answers.

"I don't know Kate-" Dally starts.

"Well I do. I think he would like it." She answers, cutting him off. "Besides, and hour and a half is a long ways a way. He won't be able to see his brothers very often if he stays in Broken Arrow. All _four _of them."

"Yeah but his friends are there." Dally protests.

"His friends are morons, and I'm sure he can make more." She answers quickly.

"But your job is there." He answers back.

"Well, I never said _I _was going to move here." She states. I look at her seriously, finally understanding what she's been trying to get at.

Dally's Point of View

"Can I talk to you outside?" I say to Kate, grabbing her arm and pulling out onto the Curtis's front porch.

"Are you out of fuckin' mind?!" I yell. "What're you trying to do here Kate?"

"Dally, he just found out that he had three brothers he never knew about. I can't just pull him away from them. In Broken Arrow it's just the two of us. We were only there because of this whole mess anyways. There's no reason for him to stay gone now." She answers back. It takes all the energy I have not to reach over and strangle her.

"Kate, do you understand what you're saying?" I yell.

"Yes. I'm saying that Lexan should stay here with his brothers. You see the way Darry looks at him. He wants him here, and he obviously doesn't approve of my parenting skills." Kate explains. I shove my hands in my pockets, then take them out and fumble for my cigarettes.

"Kate! Lexan doesn't hardly know these people. Not to mention, the Curtis's barely have enough money to hold together right now." I say, feeling like I'm ready to explode.

"I'll send them money. Darry's better at this guardianship thing than I am-" Kate argues.

"His parents just died Kate! Do you understand that? Their parents _just _died! Like a month ago! You can't expect Darry to take care of this kid! You just can't!" I yell.

"Well, what if he wants to?" She asks back calmly.

"Yeah." Darry says from the front door. "What if I want to?"


	13. Chapter 13: I Want a New Drug

Chapter 13: I want a New Drug (Skywriter's Point of View)

"No way Kate! No way! It's not happin'!" I yell. "You can't leave me here! I don't even know them!"

"Yeah but you know Dally! And Darry wants you here!" She yells back. I look at he like she's lost her mind. She has to of lost her mind. Damn it this is so typical Kate. She's known these guys for all of three hours…

"No. I don't care. My friends are in Broken Arrow!" I say, trying to find one inch of proof that my sister hasn't totally lost it.

"Your friends are assholes. There are lots of guys around here-" She states. I stare down at the street we're walking on and shake my head. I know Dally is talking to Darry about the exact same thing, and at this moment I think Dally and I are the only sane ones in the bunch.

"I don't care if there's lots of guys around here! This place is nuts! Not to mention Darry. Have you heard him? He's crazy! You know what he asked me the first time I met him? '_Aren't you too young to be drinkin'?'_ He actually asked that!" I protest. If we were under different circumstances, I probably would have laughed.

"Well, maybe you are." She states. I stop walking and stare at her. I don't know what to say. Hell, I don't even know where I'm going. I just had to get out of that house.

"Oh great! Just great! Now you're Miss responsible huh? That's just what I need!" I yell, kicking a rock and continuing my walk. I can't believe this. I really can't believe this. I feel like I have smoke coming from my ears.

"Sky…you seemed to like Pony a lot. And-" She states. I throw my hands in the air in total frustration.

"That's not the point Kaitlin! That's not the goddamned point! I don't know these guys! Just because I 'seem to like Pony' doesn't mean I should move in with him!" I scream. I'm glad there aren't a lot of people around, because we aren't exactly arguing quietly.

"Just calm down Lex. Look, I just think it'll be better if you're here. You used to always want to live with Dally." She says quietly, as if contradicting my last thought.

"Yes Kate, I know. But I won't be living with Dally. I'll be living with Mr. Aren't-you-too-young-to-drink." I answer, trying to control my anger. It's true I have a little bit of a temper issue.

"Just give it a shot. Give them all a chance. Just a month. At the end of it, if you don't like, you can come back and live with me." She says.

"Oh yeah, that'll go over real well with the court." I say, remember how much they hated me being moved from my aunts guardianship to my sister's.

"It's not their choice to make. Please Lexan. For me. Just give them a chance. One month, that's all I ask." She says. I make the mistake of looking into her eyes and seeing her desperation.

"Fine Kate, fine. But you owe me." I answer, wondering if prison is as bad as they actually say.

(Meanwhile) Darry's Point of View

"Look Dar, maybe you should think about this-" Dally states for about the fifth time in the past ten minutes.

"I have thought about it. And I want him here. I can handle it." I tell him confidently.

"I know you want him here now, but Lexan isn't a pet or an animal that you can give away when you get tired of him. He's a kid. And, I'm asking for him, that you think about this long and hard before you decide you want him moving in." Dally answers. I can feel myself getting angry.

"I know he isn't an animal Dally! Stop talking down to me like I'm a kid. I'm older than you! I know how to take care of someone." I answer loudly.

"I know you do Darry. But Lexan isn't like Soda or Pony. Lexan is stubborn and temperamental. He didn't grow up with parents like yours. He doesn't see a problem with drinkin' and fightin' and all kinds of other shit that would make your jaw drop. What happens when he comes home drunk, or cusses you out, or gets into a fist fight with Pony?" He asks. Sure, some of those things I never thought about, but I'm not about to back down.

"I'll figure it out when the time comes." I answer. He shakes his head, unsatisfied.

"No, you can't figure it out when the time comes, cause then it'll be too late. You gotta know now. Because I can assure you that these things will happen. You look at em' the wrong way, and he's ready to attack. It's just in his nature." He answers.

"Sounds like someone else I know." I can't help but comment. Dally rolls his eyes, but he can't hide the half-smile.

"I know, okay. I know. I'm just saying think about it." He answers.

"I have thought about it. I want him here. It's either here or with Kate, and no offense, but she hasn't done all that well of a job as far as I can tell." I assure him. He lights his forth cigarette and nods.

"I know she hasn't. She doesn't know how to deal with him. No one does." He says softly, almost shamefully. I wonder if there is an ounce of guilt in Dally's mind.

"But he's a shit load to deal with." He adds. Well, if there was any guilt, It's gone now.

"Okay, well, I'll manage." I say with a smile. He takes a long drag and blows the smoke out slowly.

"Damn I need a stronger drug."


	14. Chapter 14: Unwanted

Chapter 14: Unwanted (Skywriter's Pont of View)

Darry moved his things to his parents old bedroom and made his room mine. Soda and Pony sleep together, something about nightmares, so I don't have to worry about sharing a room with anyone. Dinner was awkward, since it was obvious that any conversation someone made was forced. Kate decided to stay at Dally's tonight, and her and I will go home tomorrow to pack my things. I still can't believe this is happening. I don't even want to think about how I'm going to explain this to my friends.

It's ten now and Pony and Soda are doing dishes. I offered to help but they said they had everything under control. Not that I doubted that. What's uncontrollable about doing the dishes?

"Soda, hurry up in there and get to bed! You have work tomorrow." Darry says, sticking his head out of his parents bedroom. I feel bad about making him move his things, especially into his parents room, but he's the one that volunteered. He's also the one that wants me here. Soda and Pony finish the dishes, and Soda gets ready for bed like Darry suggested. Pony comes into the living room with me and sits on the couch.

"You want to go to the lot?" Pony asks. "That's where we go to play football and stuff."

"You're not going there tonight. It's too late." Darry states, going into the kitchen.

"I'll take you on Sunday then, since you'll be busy on Saturday.," Pony says after giving Darry a glare he couldn't see. Since when has ten o clock been late?

"Alright, that's fine." I answer him, for lack of much else to say.

"As long as you two stay out of trouble." Darry says seriously, coming into the living room. "Don't do nothing illegal. Don't go to Buck's." He says, looking at Pony. "And don't drink." He says looking at me. Man what a fun-sucker.

"We won't." Pony promises.

"You better not, cause the two of you be in a lot of trouble if you do." Darry tells us. Of course, it only make sense to me, that if you get in trouble you'll be in trouble, but I figured now wasn't the time to start cracking jokes.

"What's wrong with Buck's? Dally goes there all the time." I say, remembering how Dally talks about it likes it's the greatest thing ever. He's only took me there once, but I didn't see anything wrong with it. Pony stares at me like I'm nuts.

"Too many things to list." Darry answers. "So don't go there."

"Thanks for elaborating." I mutter. God what've gotten in to?

_Later that night_

Now I know what they meant about nightmares. Pony is screamin' his head off and at first I think someone's trying to kill him. I stumble out of bed, where I was actually sleeping quite well, and make my way down the hall where Soda is holding onto Pony, and Darry is whisperin' something to him.

"Lexan." Pony says, startling me. I have to squint in the dark to see him. Darry and Soda look my way and I can't help but feel slightly embarrassed. Like I've intruded someone I should be.

"Yeah?" I ask, not bothering to move.

"I didn't mean to wake you." He whispers, finally settling down.

"Shit Pony, you probably woke up the whole neighborhood with all that screamin' you did." I answer. He pulls away from Soda and sits straight up in bed.

"Sorry." He mutters again.

"He just has nightmares Sky, you can go back to bed." Darry tells me. I take notice of how Darry purposefully avoids calling me Lexan. I don't know if he does it to annoy me or what, but I don't bother arguing with him about it.

"I've had nightmares before, but never like that!" I declare, retreating back to 'my' room. Chances are, I'm probably not going to get back to sleep, but I get into bed anyways. It feels so weird sleeping in a different bedroom.

"Hey uh…Sorry about that." Darry says from the doorway. He leans against the doorframe looking tired.

"It's fine. I've woken up to worse before. Ever heard a real intense gun fight?" I ask. I meant it in a joking fashion, though it wasn't uncommon to wake up to those in my old neighborhood.

"Uh, no." He answers, just as straight-faced as always. Man, does this guy have any sense of humor at all?

"Just, since our parents died he's been real shook up." Darry says, continuing the conversation without me knowing it. I wonder if he said anything before that, that I missed.

"Yeah, well, it's something that would shake anyone up." I tell him. I'm not sure why, but I feel he needs to hear that. Hey, I'm not a smart-ass all the time.

"I guess so. I only wish you could have met them. They were good people." Darry tells me. I give him a mean look that I'm glad the darkness hides.

"Yeah, I'll remember that next time I wonder why my mother didn't want me." I sneer. "Only bad people don't want their children."


	15. Chapter 15: Goodbye Broken Arrow

I really appreciate all the reviews I'm getting. You guys have really helped me out a lot. Please don't hesitate to be critical if you see something that will make the story better. You guys obviously know a lot more about this stuff than I do. Thanks again,

Logan Parker

Chapter 15: Goodbye Broken Arrow (Darry's Point of View)

Skywriter left an hour ago to go pick up his things. He looked real tired this morning and refused to eat. I didn't want to force him to either, so I just dropped it. When Kate came to pick him up, she tried to act all happy and excited, asking about how he slept and how he liked it here. He barely said two words to her through, which gives me the impression that he's not exactly thrilled about this move. It sucks, but I can't blame him. Especially after his comment last night. I can't imagine what it must feel like to know that you're a product of an affair, and that neither of your parents want you. It must be hard. Harder than being an orphan anyways. I just can't help but think about how Dad called him his son though. He wanted me to find _his _son. Maybe, he just didn't want me to find out about the affair.

"Lexan already gone?" Pony asks, coming into the kitchen and taking out the chocolate cake.

"Yeah, left 'bout an hour ago. You two get along?" I ask. I'm curious as to how the two of them will relate. Them being so different and all.

"Yeah. He likes to read and draw too." He says. "I feel real bad about waking him up though." I could tell Pony was pretty embarrassed by it last night, With Sky's comment about waking the neighborhood up, but I know he didn't mean nothing by it. That's just how Sky's like. Joy I'm lookin' forward to it.

"Don't worry 'bout it. He understands. I'm enrolling him in school Monday, so you think you and Two-bit can make sure he stays outta trouble?" I ask. I don't even want to think about how he'll react to a new school.

"Darry, I don't think anyone can make sure he's stays outta trouble. I would be surprised if he actually _stays _at school at all. He'll probably ditch it as soon as we're out the door." Pony answers. Shit. I hadn't thought about that.

"Oh no he won't." I answer instead. "Cause I'm gonna drive em' there and have Two-bit picl em' home. That way I'll know if he goes or not."

"Yeah but he'll be in the middle school Darry. What if Two-bit has plans that doesn't involve picking up twelve year olds from school?" He asks, finishing his cake. I think about this before answering.

"Two-bit doesn't have a life. He won't mind."

Skywriter's Point of View

It took me nearly three hours to pack up all my shit and get it loaded into the car. After last night I'm not exactly jumping for joy about going back. I'm not sure how much screamin' in the middle of the night I can handle. But I already promised Kate, and she already had my files transferred over to Tulsa Middle School. God the thought of going to back to another middle school annoys me. A buncha stupid kids that don't know how to tie their own shoes.

"So…this is for real?" Danny asks me. I'm takin' down all the posters off my walls and throwin' them away. No point in keeping them anymore.

"Yes Danny, this is for real. And I swear if you ask me that one more time I'm gonna knock your teeth out." I answer. Jeez this kid.

"Well, I just can't believe it. First you tell me you're gonna go visit three brothers you never knew you had, then you come back the next day, sayin' you're movin' in with em'. What am I supposed to say?" He answers back defensively. I throw my hands up.

"I don't know Daniel. I didn't leave with the intention of movin' there, but Darry wanted me to, and Kate wanted me to, and hell, I didn't have that much of a choice in the matter. Besides, at least I have Dally." I say, trying to convince myself as well as him.

"Yeah but what about me? What about Chris?" He asks. Chris is my girlfriend. You can only imagine her reaction when I told her about movin'. "We'll be over an hour away from you! We'll hardly ever get to see you! Besides, Darry was so stiff that time he came over! I mean, he was suck a prick, askin' you-"

"Hey, look, I know Darry is stiff. But don't go callin' names, cause then I gotta stick up for him." I answer, trying to sound casual. He just looks at me.

"I'm just sayin', that's he's my brother, so if anyone's gonna be callin' em' a prick, it's gonna be me." I explain quietly.

"Oh my God, you actually like this guy! I can't believe it! You're actually stickin' up for him-" Danny exclaims. I let out an annoyed sigh and light a cigarette.

"Just shut up and make yourself useful. Carry this box out to the car." I say, changing the subject quickly. I walk out to the car, followed by Danny, and stare at the neighborhood around me.

"Goodbye Broken Arrow." I mutter, just loud enough for me to hear.


	16. Chapter 16: Getting Along

Chapter 16: Getting Along (**Pony's Point of View**)

Lexan gets back home at five, which is an hour before Darry gets off work. Soda and I help him with his bags, while Kate tries to make small talk that does nothing more than annoy us. Especially since we're carryin' in stuff, so it's hard to answer the questions.

"So, are you guys going to be in the same school?" She asks, twiddling her fingers. I think she knows her attempts at being friendly aren't being well responded to.

"No Kate, they're in high school. I'm not." Lexan answers so I don't have to. He seems the most annoyed out of us all.

"Well, um, I'm gonna go then and get back home. I gotta get up early to go to work tomorrow. I'll come check on your tomorrow afternoon, Lex. I'll bring Chris too. I'm sure she'll wanna come." Kate tells him.

"Okay, that'll be cool." He answers happily, though it kinda bugs me. Can't she leave us alone for a day?

"Okay, see ya." Kate says smiling and waving. I think she kinda wants to give Lexan a hug or something, but he's not the touchy-feely type and doesn't offer, so she finally leaves.

"What's all this?" I ask, pulling out papers from one of the boxes.

"You always make it your job to go through other people's things?" Lexan asks, but it's obvious he's not angry. I feel embarrassed anyway.

"Hey, never mind, it doesn't matter." Lexan says quickly. "Just drawings."

"Oh, you drew them?" I ask.

"Yeah, I drew em'." Lexan confirms, setting down another box in the corner of the room. He takes out his clothes and shoves them into the dresser drawers.

"You okay?" Soda asks, looking at him strangely.

"Yeah, just fine. Anything to do around here?" He asks.

"Uh…well, Darry'll be home soon. You know, I'm sure he-" Soda starts.

"What about that lot you were talkin' about Pony. Wanna go there?" He asks me. I shrug my shoulders.

"Why not?"

**Skywriter's Point of View**

I know this may come as a surprise to some of you, but the lot was just what it sounded like. A lot. A piece of land that the guys played football on and stuff. Not really that much to see. But I guess in a city where going to the movies, or visiting the public library, are fun things to do, the lot was important. Anyways, it was better than staying inside the house. Johnny is already here, and according to Soda and Pony, he spends a great deal of time in the lot because of his parents. They didn't feel like elaborating, but I think I get the picture.

"Hey kid, how was the move?" Johnny asks. It seems weird being called 'kid' by anyone, but especially by Johnny, who seems more like Pony's age than sixteen. I'm not going to say anything about it though.

"It was…boring." I answer, after carefully considering all my other options. Lame, stupid, disastrous…

"How'd your friends take it?" Soda asks.

"My friends, well, they uh…you know. Didn't like it." I manage. They all nod like they were there and they know exactly what it must be like to move in with people they don't even know. Hell, maybe they do know. This neighborhood seems weird enough.

"Hey guys!" Two-bit calls, joining us in the lot. "Have some kinda reunion goin' on?"

"Somethin' like that." Pony answers.

"Yeah, I just got back from Buck's place. Dally's bein' Dally." Two-bit answers. He's obviously been drinkin'.

"Well, you guys wanna go?" I ask. They look at me questioningly.

"To Buck's?" I clarify.

"No. You heard what Darry said last night. We aint allowed there." Pony answers. I feel like hitting him.

"God do you always do what you're told?" I mutter.

"Aw, aint much to see now anyhow. Everyone is packin' up till tomorrow. Some rodeo or somethin' Buck has goin' on tonight. You know him." Two-bit says. Actually, I don't know him. But I figure might as well go along with it.

"Well, we better be getting back. Darry'll be home in a few minutes. I gotta start dinner." Soda says. So, the two of them start for the house, and everyone follows. Apparently, their house is the one to stay at.

"Oh, your transcript is at the house." Pony tells me.

"For school?" I ask, even though I know it is. God I'm not lookin' forward to it.

"Yep. Luckily you didn't get no horrible teachers." he tells me. I nod, not really caring what teachers I got. They were all horrible to me.

**Darry's Point of View**

When I walk into the house, Soda is cookin' dinner, and Pony and Sky are talkin' in Sky's room. I'm glad the two of them seem to be getting along.

"When'd he get home?" I ask Soda, coming into the kitchen to go through the mail. Since I don't work tomorrow, I'll probably spend most of my time doing bills.

"Would you guys knock it off!" I yell to Two-bit and Steve, who are wrestling on the living room floor.

"He started it." Two-bit claims, dodging a playful punch throw my Steve. I Shake my head, and go back to the mail.

"About five. We just went to the lot for about thirty minutes or so." Soda answers, throwing in some purple food coloring with the green beans. I'll have to remember to explain that to Sky.

"Man, the green beans mixed with the purple food coloring, turns out brown." Soda states with disappointment. I roll my eyes and listen to Two-bit and Steve arguing over some girl they met at a club.

"Kate's comin' over tomorrow though. Bringin' Lexan's girlfriend or something over to visit." Soda goes on. I'm glad she's coming over though, cause I need to talk to her about what classes Sky has already had and stuff. If there are any that he's actually passed this year.

"Alright. You workin' tomorrow?" I ask him. Sometimes Soda works on Sunday, and sometimes he doesn't. It's the only day of the week I don't work.

"Um…Yeah. I plan on it at least." Soda answers.

"Johnny you stayin' over tonight?" I call to Johnny in the living room. Like always, he's hardly making any noise at all. Just sitting on the couch watching Steve and Two-bit dish it out.

"Yeah, if that's okay with you." He answers.

"Of course it is." I answer back quickly. If you hesitate at all with him, he'll think he's not wanted.

"This'll be done in about ten minutes." Soda tells me, referring to the dinner.

"Okay, I'm gonna go check on Pony and Sky." I tell him, leaving the kitchen and standing at the doorway to Sky's room. Boxes are everywhere. It's obvious he's made no attempt to put anything away, cept' maybe his clothes. Their both sitting with their backs to the door, leaning on the side of the bed, hovered over some papers.

"What are you guys lookin' at?" I ask, starling both of them.

"Nothing." Sky says hurriedly. If that doesn't make me curious…

"Just things we drew. Things you won't get." Pony explains. I give him one of my looks and he turns away before laughing.

"Oh I see. Things I won't get huh?" I ask sarcastically.

"Well, you never liked art and stuff Darry-" Pony offends, not looking at me, but obviously amused.

"Well, maybe I won't get that stuff, but you two better get me when I say-" I start.

"We'll stay outta trouble tomorrow." Pony interrupts before I can say anything.

"Yeah, Chris'll probably want to go to a movie or something." Sky says, though I can't tell if he's actually agreeing or not.

"Well, if you do, Pony is going with you." I tell him. I can tell, even without seeing his face, that he rolls his eyes and makes a face at Pony.

"We don't need a babysitter." He says indignantly. " Besides, Chris is fifteen, so she's older than Pony anyways." That doesn't kind of surprise me, that a fifteen year old would date a twelve year old, but I don't say anything.

"I don't care. He's gonna keep an eye on you." I answer. Pony gives Sky an authorial look, and Sky shoves him playfully. I can't help but laugh. I only hope they get along this good tomorrow.

"Damn it Two-bit, I'm gonna kick your ass!" Steve yells from the living room. There's no hope for those two, I think smiling.


	17. Chapter 17: Nightmares and Girlfriends

Chapter 17: Nightmares and Girlfriends (**Skywriter's point of View**)

It's nearly two in the morning when I wake up to screamin'. I was hopin' I wouldn't have to go through this again.

"Oh for the love!" I say out loud, covering my head with my pillow. Jeez this kid has some lungs in him. After he doesn't stop screamin' for about five minutes, I get out of bed, walk down the hall, and push open the door to Pony and Soda's room. Darry is already in there trying to get Pony to stop cryin'.

"Lexan?" Pony calls from where he's sitting up in his bed, covered in Darry's arms.

"No, it's the grim reaper. My God kid, what kind of movies have you been watchin'?" I answer sarcastically. Soda shoots me a look I can't read and Darry lets go of him.

"Will you sleep with us?" Pony asks, sounding like a little kid. There are tears running down his face, and it's almost scary to see him this scared.

"It'll be too-" I try, not really thrilled about the idea of sleepin' with these two guys.

"_Please!_" He cuts in. They're all staring at me now. I shrug. I mean, what else can I do?

"Uh…alright. Sure. That's fine. Why not? There's three beds in this house, and it only makes sense for three of us to crowd in one." I mutter. They all keep lookin' at me when I don't move.

"Okay! Jeez, where do you want me?" I ask. Soda scoots closer to Pony and makes room on the other side of the bed. Well, at least I'm not in the middle. Man, these people. What ever happened to normal families? I hop into bed beside Soda and roll on my stomach uncomfortably. Darry rubs Pony's hair and goes back to bed.

"Thanks Lex." Pony says before laying down.

"Sure, no problem." I answer. "Anytime."

**Soda's Point of View**

I have to say that I'm pretty surprised that he actually agreed to sleep with us. He kept looking at us like we had a disease at the doorway, and I thought for sure he'd leave as soon as Pony fell asleep, but he actually doesn't. He's just laying there, obviously feeling out of place, and not yet asleep. I put an arm around Pony, then dare to slip one around Lexan. He flinches, but doesn't pull away. I actually think I feel him relax under it, and I wonder what that means. Maybe he's not as hard as he wants us to think.

**Darry's Point of View**

The doorbell rings, and I look up from the paper, to see what time it is. Eight o clock in the morning. A little early for the gang to be here. I get up from the kitchen table and walk to the door, recognizing Kate's smile as soon as I open it.

"Hi! Hi, I know I'm early, but I told my boss I'd come in late so that Chris could spend some time with Lexan, cause I know he has school tomorrow, and if I brought her after work they wouldn't have much time to hang out. I figured I'd get off early today too, and swing by around four, since I know you said you had some things to talk about." Kate explains so fast I barely understand what she's saying. I open the door and let her come in, as well as a pretty girl with short, straight, black hair and an olive-color complexion.

"This is Chris. Chris, this is Darry, he's Lex's oldest brother." Kate introduces. Chris simply nods her head and looks around.

"I'm so sorry I'm so early." Kate starts up again. I can't help but notice how nice she looks today in her knee-length red dress, and her hair pulled tightly back.

"Don't worry about it." I stop her. "It's fine. Sky is still asleep though."

"Where?" Chris asks. I look at her, remembering she was here. For a second I forgot about her.

"Uh, the second door on the left." I tell her, and she runs off down the hall.

"Well, I hate to rush out like this, but I got to be at work by ten. Tell Lex I stopped by, and that I'll see him later this afternoon." She says, heading towards the front door. Man does she have a lot of energy.

"Okay, no problem. I'll see ya." I answer. She throws her hand up, and then rushes off to her car. I walk down to Soda and Pony's room.

"Get up Lex!" Chris says. She's practically on top of him, shaking him and trying to get him up. Soda is already awake and sitting up, and Pony is lying down still, with his eyes closed.

"Um…go 'way!" Sky moans. "Too early."

"No, c'mon. I came all this way to see you. C'mon, Lex, please. We only have one day." She states. He pushes her off of him and pulls the covers up around himself. I can't help but laugh.

"Ugh, Skywriter Lexan Johnston, get yourself outta this bed, right now!" She yells, pulling the pillow out from underneath him. Johnston?

"Alright!" He yells, reluctantly sitting up. "Jeez, women!" She laughs and hits him on the back of his head.

"Women got nothing to do with the fact that decided to go to sleep late!" She answers defiantly.

"I didn't go to bed late. Darry makes me go to bed early!" He claims. Which is true, if you count eleven as early. Apparently he does.

"Well, c'mon anyways. I have some place I wanna go." She states, finally managing to get him to get out of bed.

"I gotta get dressed and stuff." He mumbles.

"Where do you plan on going?" I ask her.

"Just…nowhere really." She answers.

"Well, I'd like to no where nowhere is, before you two head off." I tell her, leaving the room. Lexan retreats to his bedroom to get dressed, bringing her in the room with him.

**Lexan's Point of View**

"So, where do you plan on goin'?" I ask Chris, taking off the t-shirt I slept in and throwing on a new one. I yank some jeans off of a hanger and throw them on.

"Dally said we could join em' at Buck's." She answers. I self-consciously look at the door to make sure it's closed and Darry can't hear.

"I'm not allowed to go there." I tell her shyly. She lets out a laugh that sounds more like a snort and gives me one of her 'you've gotta be kiddin' me' looks.

"Since when has Lexan Johnston let someone else tell him what to do?" She asks me, like I knew she would.

"Alright but listen, if Darry finds out, I'm dead. So we gotta be professional about this." I tell her.

"What do you mean, _professional_?" She asks.

"I mean, follow my lead and don't say anything stupid." I answer, opening the bedroom door and preparing to lie my ass off.


	18. Chapter 18: Movies and Beer

Chapter 18: Movies and Beer (**Darry's Point of View**)

Sky comes out of his room with that girlfriend of his following him like a lost puppy. I'm not sure whether or not I like her yet, but something about her puts me on edge.

"Sky, eat something. You too Soda. Chris, you want anything?" I say, not looking at anyone in particular.

"Sky? No one calls him that." Chris says indignantly. I roll my eyes like an annoyed teenager.

"I call him that." I answer, setting Soda's eggs on the table.

"Skywriter, how do you eat your eggs?" I ask, hoping to annoy her even more. Sky can sense this and gives me a mean look.

"I don't eat eggs." He answers, brushing his hair with his fingers. He looks more and more like Soda every time I look at him, but there's no denying that he's Dally's brother too.

"Well, you're not leaving the house until you eat something." I reply. So finishes his breakfast and then changes for work.

"You're leaving late." Sky notices, and it takes a second for Soda to understand what he's saying.

"Oh yeah, the DX doesn't open until later on Sundays. I guess they figure not as many car problems occur during church hours." Soda answers. Sky raises his eyebrows and shrugs his shoulders as if to say, 'they're probably right', then sits down at the kitchen table. Pony comes out a few seconds later and sits beside him.

"Lex, will you just eat something so we can go?" Chris asks, not bothering to be seated.

"Where are you guys going?" Pony asks.

"Yeah, where are you guys going?" I echo.

"Work, thanks for askin'." Steve answers, coming through the front door. "That is, if Soda'll hurry up in there." He says, banging on the bathroom door.

"Hold on Steve. Just gimme a second!" Soda calls.

"You ever heard of bein' on time?" Steve answers, huffing, before coming into the kitchen.

"What, now you have a sister?" He asks, referring to Chris. I'd rather be dead, I can't help but think.

"No, this is Sky's girlfriend." I answer instead.

"It's Le-" She starts.

"Chris, drop it." Sky says impatiently. She rolls her eyes but does as he says. I'm glad too, cause I've about had it with her.

"Okay, I'm ready." Soda says, barging out of the bathroom. "Bye Darry. Bye Pony. Bye Lex." He calls, following Steve to the front door.

"Bye guys! Stay outta trouble. See ya tonight!" I call after them. Soda waves and leaves for work with Steve.

"So, where are you guys going?" I say, brining up the question that still hadn't been answered.

"Oh I don't know. The park. Maybe the library. Just see what there is to do around here." Sky answers.

'Uh huh. The park and the library." I repeat, unconvinced. Chris gives him a worried look that I almost laugh at. Did these guys think I was born yesterday?

"I can show you guys around." Pony volunteers, and I can see Chris cringe.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." I second. Looking for Sky's reaction. To my surprise, he doesn't have one though. He just shrugs and sits back in his chair.

"Okay, cool."

**Skywriter's Point of View**

Shit. How am I going to get out of this? I know I can't look like I'm up to something, so I calmly eat, put on my shoes, and wait for Pony on the porch.

"_Okay, cool?_" Chris asks. "Are you kiddin' me?"

"Look what was I supposed to say? 'No Darry we want to go get drunk at Buck's, he can't come'?" I hiss back at her. She huffs and crosses her arms over her chest.

"How are we gonna get rid of him?" She asks. I shrug.

"I'm workin' on it, okay. Just gimme a second to think." I answer. Seriously though, I don't really even care about going to Buck's. Sure I didn't find anything wrong with it last time, but I didn't find it all that interesting either. Besides if she really wanted to get drunk, she could have done that at Kate's. Kate never minded before.

"Well, I don't mean to rush you or anything, but if you don't think of something quick, we're going to spending our day at the library!" She snaps. God she could be annoying sometimes. Just then Pony walks on the from porch, letting the door slam behind him.

"You guys stay outta trouble!" Darry calls from the kitchen. How many times was he gonna say that?

"Alright." Pony answers, giving me a 'I know how you feel' look. Apparently Darry goes through all this with him too.

"So, where do you guys wanna go first?" He asks as we walk towards town.

"Why don't we pick up Johnny, and the four of us can go see a movie?" I suggest. I can feel Chris's eyes eating right through me. Pony seems to like the idea though.

"Okay, that sounds fun." He answers. Sure enough, Johnny was in the lot, and it didn't take much convincing to get him to come with us.

"So, what do you do in the lot all day?" I ask him, since obviously there's nothing even remotely entertaining there.

"Just think." He answers, barely even looking at me. "She your friend?"

"Girlfriend." Chris corrects bitterly. Pony gives me a look, and I in turn, give Chris a look, that of course she ignores.

"So, what's playin?" Chris asks between gritted teeth. Pony looks at her with confusion but answers the question anyway.

"Don't know yet, will find out." He answers.

Once we get there, we settle on some action movie about a deadly virus that's spreading around the world. At least, that's as much ads I got out of it, before Chris and I decided to 'go get popcorn'.

"Okay, you ready?" I ask her, turning around to make sure Johnny and Pony weren't looking.

"Duh! That movie is a piece of shit." She answers. I smile with a clenched jaw and lead her out of the movie house.

**Dally's Point of View**

When I see Chris and Lexan walk into Buck's, I tense up a little. Sure, I don't have a problem with Lex being here, and I told his girl they could stop by, but I know how much Darry hates this place. I'm just wonderin' how they managed to get here without someone noticing.

"Hey kids." I call to them. Lexan waves and Chris runs over to greet me with a hug.

"Thank God Dally, Lexan's other brothers are wound so tight it makes me sick!" Chris tells me. I smile, releasing her, knowing what she means. Darry is pretty strict, but he has good reason to be. His brothers are all he has left, and I feel real bad about Lexan being here behind Darry's back.

"So, how are things." I ask him. He shrugs and grabs Chris's hand, looking slightly nervous.

"Got a beer?"

**Pony's Point of View**

Darry's going to kill me. We go out for one hour, and I've already lost him. I should have known they were up to something, by the way Chris was acting. After Lex and Chris went to 'get popcorn' they never came back. I should have kept an eye on them.

"Darry's going to flip!" I say to Johnny, on our way back to my house. We already went by the park and the library and the lot, and of course they weren't there. I know exactly where they are.

"Look man, it wasn't your fault. Lex planned this out perfectly-" Johnny says, trying to reassure me. It doesn't work though.

"It was that stupid girlfriend of his. He wouldn't have gone if it weren't for her! Man I hate her!" I yell, catching Johnny off guard. I hardly ever yell.

"Sorry Johnny, it's just, Darry's gonna go insane." I explain. He nods.

"Yep, he is."

**Darry's Point of View**

"He what!" I yell. Damn it that kid! The first whole day I have him and he runs off! What am I going to do with him?

"Darry, calm down. I'm pretty sure I know where he is." Pony says.

"I pretty sure I know where he is too. Him and that girlfriend of his snuck off to Buck's place, after I told him not to set foot there! I knew something was up!" I answer. I grab the keys to the truck and head out the front door.

"Pony, don't leave the house until I get back, ya hear?" I call to him. I'm not mad at him, but I already have one brother missin' and I'm not misplacing another.

"Yeah." He answers, lighting a cigarette. "Just remember that you get jail time for murder!"

**Skywriter's Point of view**

After about three beers I feel a lot more relaxed. I forgot how great the stuff is. Since my head is hardly spinnin' I head for another one. I wonder if Darry's noticed I'm missin' yet.

"Hey, what the hell?" I scream, coming back into Buck's living room. There's some redneck lookin' guy tryin' to hit on Chris, and buggin' her out.

"Lexan, get him to stop!" She yells. I grab onto his jacket and smash my fist into his face. Boy is he pissed now. He jerks around, slams me up against the wall, and starts punching the hell outta me. Now, I'm not stupid, but sometimes I don't exactly think before I act. See, if I would have thought about it, I would have seen that this guy was at least twice my size and age, and gone to Dally for help. But did I think? No fuckin chance. I just hit em' without thinking, and not I'm back into a wall getting my face rearranged.

"Dally!" Chris screams. Dally comes runnin' into the living room, followed by Buck, and Grabs a hold of the guy. By now there are at least ten guys standin' around watchin' the action. Dally has the guy on the ground no problem, but then comes Redneck's best friend, who grabs Dally from behind and pulls him off of Redneck. I jump on Friend's back and start pulling his hair, with blood running down my face. Another one of my famous mistakes. Redneck's friend runs backwards into the wall, smashing my back and head. Dam does it hurt too! Meanwhile, Buck is fighting Redneck, Chris is cryin', and I'm too drunk to do anything rational.

"Lexan, Lex baby, you okay?" Chris asks me, helping me up off the floor. I wipe the blood from my nose and lip and watch Dally continue to slug Redneck's friend senseless. I honestly don't see how tonight could get any worse.

"Skywriter!" Darry screams. Shit. It just did.

**Darry's Point of View**

When I walk into Buck's, the first thing I notice is all the commotion coming from the living room. Once I get in there, I can understand why.

Dally is beating the crap out of some guy, and Buck is doing the same to another. Meanwhile, Chris and Lexan are watching on the floor, both covered in blood. I think only Lexan is bleeding, and Chris has just got his blood on her, but I can't be certain.

"Skywriter!" I scream. As soon as he sees me he goes sickly pale. He has good reason to too, because few times in my life have I been more angry. The only thing that holds me back now, is the fact that my little brother is bleeding like crazy.

"Get up! Can you walk?" I yell at him, over the fight and the screaming people. He nods, stands up, and grabs Chris's hand. She could stay here for all I cared. I drag him outta the house, only to be stopped while Sky throws up his insides on Buck's lawn. After he's done, I pull both of them into the truck and head home.


	19. Chapter 19: After Party

Chapter 19: After Party (**Skywriter's Point of View**)

I can't believe I let Chris talk me into this. I can't believe I listened to her! Kate is already at the house when we get home, along with Pony and Soda. Darry seems really mad, but right now I don't have time to deal with him.

"Lexan, what happened to you?!" Kate yells as soon as I walk in the door.

"Chris, what's the matter?" She asks Chris who's still cryin'. Darry comes into the house, slamming the door.

"Where do you keep the first aid kit?" I ask Soda, trying not to loose my temper. God it's going to be a long night. Soda rushes off, and reappears a second later with rubbing alcohol, Band-Aids, and towels. Kate is over at my side in an instant trying to help me. She pours some alcohol onto a paper towel and dabs my forehead with it. It burns instantly.

"Jesus Kate! Cut it out!" I yell. "I'm don't need your help! Leave me alone!" Kate backs away instantly and goes back over to talk to Darry.

"What happened?" She asks. I can tell Darry is about to explode.

"What happened?! I'll tell you what happened! Chris and Sky snuck off to Buck's when they were supposed to be at the movies! I wanna know what the hell the two of em' were thinking!" Darry yells. Boy is he loud. Pony shrinks up subconsciously and goes off to his room. I clean all the blood off my face and start applying Band-Aids.

"Well, what were thinking?" Darry asks when neither of us answer. I really don't need this right now.

"Fuck off!" I yell, pulling Chris off the floor where she's been sitting. Soda's eyes grow huge and Kate looks like she doesn't know what to say. Darry looks like he's about to fly through the roof.

"You okay?" I ask Chris. She's pretty hysterical, and I'm not sure why. It isn't the first time she's sen a fight.

"Skywriter! Go to your room before I do something that'll land me in jail!" Darry screams. And I mean, screams. I pull Chris by her wrist towards my room, but Darry stops me.

"Alone!" He yells, and the look on his face warns against objections. Normally, I wouldn't go down that easily, but I don't feel too good. I go to the bathroom instead and throw up whatever beer is still in my system, listening to Darry bang his fists on the wall and scream all sorts of obscenities. In other circumstances, it might have been funny.

"I can't believe this! One day! What am I going to do with him?!" Darry screams.

"Listen, don't worry about it, I'll talk to him." Kate says, trying to calm him down.

"Oh Is that right?! You'll talk to him?!" He yells sarcastically. "I don't see why you should even give a shit! You never stopped him from drinkin' and fightin' before!" Oh boy, I think, rubbing my head. It's pounding like crazy.

"You okay?" Soda asks from the bathroom door. I focus in on him and nod. Everything is a little blurry.

"You mind getting me some water?" I ask. I hate to send him into the hell in the living room, but if I go I might be killed.

"Sure. Be right back." He answers without hesitation. Apparently Kate and darry don't notice him, cause they keep on screamin'.

"Well I did the best I could! But his father didn't want him, and his mother didn't want him, and his aunt didn't give a rats ass about what he did, so by time he got to me, he was a lost cause." Kate defends. Thanks a lot. That's the kind of thing I like to hear. Honestly though, in this state, I don't even care.

"Here you go." Soda says, giving me a glass of water. I have it down in a second.

"Thanks." I tell him. He smiles and squeezes my shoulder. How he manages a smile through all this, I'll never know.

"That's a tuff lookin' cut on your head. What happened?" He asks. I feel the spot on my forehead when it'd been bleeding.

"Probably a ring or something one of the guys was wearin'. Didn't really have time to figure out." I tell him. He nods, understandingly. I know good and well he's been on my end before. Probably drunk as well.

"I better go to room now." I tell him, and he helps be stand. I manage to sneak into my room without drawing attention to myself. I shut the door and listen to the fight that's still going on outside my bedroom.

"Just go back to not caring and I'll straighten everything out!" Darry yells.

"Fine. That doesn't sound that a bad idea! C'mon Chris!" Kate screams, followed by the sound of the front door slammin'. Gee, love you too sis. A minute or so later I hear the truck start up, and the house is so quiet it's scary. The knock on my door seems loud compared to the sudden silence.

**Pony's Point of View**

I don't think I've ever seen Darry so mad before in my life. Man he was angry and I really feel back for Lexan. I know how he feels being yelled at like that, but I've never done anything like this before. Darry is going to kill him. Darry goes out for a drive, I think to cool off, and I take the opportunity to talk to Lex. I knock on his door before entering, just in case.

"Yeah?" He calls. I open the door and step inside.

"You mind if I come in?" I ask. He shrugs, looking really calm considering what's gone on.

"Sure, it's your house." He answers. His face is pretty mad messed up, but nothing that won't heal in a few days.

"Look I um…I'm sorry about the movies thing." He says looking down at his hands uncomfortably.

"Hey, I'm not mad at you. Dary bein' mad is enough. So, what happened?" I ask. His eyes light up with excitement and anger.

"Well, Chris was so fuckin' set on goin' to Buck's right? So, after we left the movies the two of us go there to have some drinks-" He starts, stopping when Soda enters the room.

"I wanna hear too." He says, smiling at the thought of a cool story. Lex laughs and shakes his head.

"Alright." He says, and Soda sits on the bed beside me.

"So we get there, and things are going fine. We were havin' a lot of fun, playin' a little poker, and shooting pool with a few guys. Then, I leave to get another drink, maybe my third or forth one, and when I get back this redneck is hittin' on my girlfriend. And, it's not even that, but he's bein' real rough, and she screams for me to help her. So of course, I gotta, I mean, she's my girlfriend. So that's when the fight starts." He says, continuing on to explain the details about Dally and the redneck's friend. Now that it's over, it's slightly funny, and Soda and I can't help but laugh. Soon, we're all laughing hysterically at the thought of Buck tryin' to take out some guy when he's stupid drunk. Myabe it's not even that funny, but sometimes under pressure, things seem funnier I guess.

"I don't see what's so funny!" Darry booms from the doorway of Lex's room. We alls top laughing immediately. Darry still looks mad, but not as angry as before.

"Well, when you envision it in your head…" Soda says, starting to laugh again. Darry does his best to keep a straight face.

"Hey, hey, what's up with the big times?!" Two-bit calls, stomping in the front door. "I'd say it's a nice day for some football! Where is everybody?"

"Soda, Pony, you guys go play some football with Two-bit to get em' to shut up." Darry says, daring to show some amusement in his voice. Soda and I get up to leave.

"Stay in the lot though. You guys gotta come home soon. You have school tomorrow." Darry adds, putting his straight face back on. I nod and leave, giving Lexan a sympathetic look before leaving.

**Darry's Point of View**

I got rid of Soda and Pony so I could talk to Sky alone. I'm not sure what I'm gonna to say, since I don't want to lose my cool, and I don't want him to lose his either. He leans back against the headboard behind his bed and sighs deeply.

"You feel okay? Nothing broken?" I start out. He looks up at my, startled, and I can't blame him. He's probably expecting me to beat in the ground, which doesn't sound like a half-bad idea.

"Uh, yeah. Fine." He answers, looking back down at his hands. Man this kid Is tough. He got the shit beat out of em' today, and didn't shed not one tear. I think it's normal of him too, because Kate didn't seem surprised.

"Why did you feel the need to go to Buck's after I told you not to?" I ask. What I really want to ask is, what the fuck am I going to do with you?. I can tell he knows this too, because he's squirming, like he's just waiting for me to break. I refuse to give him that kind of satisfaction though.

"Well, it's not about _feeling the need_." He says with sarcasm. "It's just about wanting to. Or at least, Chris wanted to, and I didn't see the big deal. I still don't. He answers. I feel my blood boil and try counting to ten.

"You don't see the big deal?" I ask as calmly as possible. "Have you looked in the mirror?"

"Yeah well, that wasn't my fault. At least, not really." He states matter-of-factly. I can't believe the guts this kid has.

"Really? See I would say it is your fault, because you weren't supposed to be at Buck's in the first place. You weren't supposed to be drinkin' in the first place. You were supposed to be at the movies. So you lied to me, went where you weren't supposed to, and drank, all in a days work. Which, are three of my biggest rules." I tell him. His reaction is far too relaxed for my taste.

"Well, I've been drinkin' since I was eight, going places I wasn't supposed to since before I could walk, and lyin' all my life. So maybe, it just didn't seem, to me, to be that big of a deal. Shame my mother never taugh me better." He sneers. I have to keep remindin' myself that this is a twelve year old kid. Damn, when did kids start actin' like this? And, as angry as I am, which is beyond all reason, he's got a point.

"Well, now you have me to teach you different. And believe me when I say that this is the last time you're ever going to do something so stupid." I answer, standing up.

"I hope you really like school, because it is the only place you're going to go that involves leavin' this house." I tell him, watching his confused reaction as I leave the room and shut the door behind me.

**Skywriter's Point of View**

It might be wrong, but when Kate and I got into fights, it almost always turned physical. Maybe it was for that reason that I am completely confused about what just happened. I was expecting something. Some kind of something. A fight or some kind of argument. But none of that happened. I'm not sure what happened, but it wasn't any of that. And, Darry's pretty big. Really big. And earlier when we got back home, with all that yellin' and fussin', I was sure I was going to have the shit beat out of me for the second time tonight. And then this. What is this? Maybe this is being grounded. I've had friends that were grounded before, but I mean, it never lasted.

I lay down on my bed and close my eyes. Man my head I killin' me. I can't help but think about school. It's going to be a pain and half. My first day of school is tomorrow, and I'll be both bruised and hung-over.


	20. Chapter 20: First Day

Chapter 20: First Day (**Skywriter's Point of View**)

"Why Johnston?" Darry asks me, mixing in chocolate syrup with milk for Pony. I'll tell you one thing, I thought I was grumpy in the morning, but Pony! Man that kid is feisty when he wakes up.

"Uh…well, my mom didn't want me to know about her, and my dad didn't want me around, so I never took either one of their last names. Figured I'd go with my aunt's last name." I answer. I cradle my head in my hands and wish I could die. My face looks a little better from last night, but it's still swollen. Not to mention this hangover is killing me.

"She was Mom's aunt? The one that was 'sick'?" Pony asks. I shrug.

"Don't know, I guess." I answer, wanting to end the conversation. I get lucky too, because the phone rings and Darry goes to answer it.

"It's for you." He says with a hint of aggravation. I take the phone, slightly aggravated myself.

"What?" I bark to whoever is on the other line.

"Hey, you okay?" Kate asks. I sigh wondering where to begin.

"Yeah, fine." I answer. Darry goes back to scrambling eggs, as Soda gets out of the shower, and sits at the table.

"He hurt you?" Kate asks, referring to Darry.

"Nope." I answer, not wanting to say much. I don't want Darry to know we're talking about him.

"Really? I thought he was going to flip yesterday!" Kate answers.

"Well…everything's fine." I answer, considering each word carefully.

"Okay well, here, Chris wants to talk to you." Kate says, a second later Chris is on the phone.

"Hey." She says.

"Hey. What're you doing up so early?" I ask. Normally we would sleep until noon.

"Haven't gone to bed yet." She answers. Yep, go figures.

"Oh okay, well, you okay?" I ask. Pony finishes his breakfast and puts his plate in the sink. I try to do the same, but point back to my seat at the table.

"You have to eat something." He tells me. I roll my eyes but sit back down, and mess with the eggs on my plate.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay? I was afraid I wouldn't have a boyfriend after last night." Chris tells me. I take a bite of eggs and swallow down some orange juice.

"Well, don't worry about me. Everything's fine." I tell her. I'm sure Darry knows we're talking about him now.

"Sky, you need to get ready for school." Darry tells me, hinting for me to get off the phone.

"Kay well I gotta go." I tell Chris.

"Ugh, you _have _to?" She whines.

"Hey, it's not my choice. I don't want to go to school." I tell her, earning a glance from Darry.

"Fine. I'll talk to you later." She tells me. I tell her bye, hang up, and get my stuff together.

"Do you guys take a bus or something?" I ask from the living room, putting my shoes on.

"No, Soda rides with Steve. Two-bit, Johnny, and I walk." He answers, already ready and getting ready to leave. Steve honks his horn, and Soda leaves to ride with him.

"Bye Darry, I'll see ya later!" Pony calls, walking to the front door.

"Bye kiddo. Stay outta trouble." He answers, and I swear he's looking at me at the last part. I try to follow Pony out, but Darry stops me.

"I'm takin' you." He tells me. I roll my eyes and prepare myself for a long ride.

**Darry's Point of View**

Sky says little to nothing on the way to school, as I lecture him about not getting in trouble, staying at school, and doing his work. However, if I could have a dollar for every time he rolled his eyes, I'd be rich.

"Oh, and when you get home, go straight to your room and start on your homework." I tell him.

"What if I don't have homework?" He mutters.

"Then go straight to your room and review what you learned." I answer.

"Why do I have to go to my room? Why I can't I do it in the living room or something?" He asks me.

"Because I told you yesterday. You're grounded." I answer. I can't even believe he asked that after last night.

"So I can't leave my room?" He asks incredulously.

"Have you ever been grounded before?" I ask, parking at the school to let him out.

"What do you think?" He asks bitterly, hopping out of the car. He stomps off into the school and I can't help but think what a hellish day this is going to turn out to be.

**Skywriter's Pont of View**

This school is not near as big as my last one. The kids aren't near as big either. They all look like a bunch of preschoolers, walking around with their colorful book bags and chattering with their preoccupied friends. I bet none of them have been drunk before in their lives. My head pounds against my eyes and I suddenly think how lucky they are. They should never drink.

I look at my class schedule and find room 103, Mrs. King, Literature. Lit isn't bad. You just read and stuff right? I like to read. I walk into the class room and the teacher spots me instantly.

"You must be Skywriter." She says, and I swear I can think of a million sarcastic things to say back to her.

"Lexan." I answer instead. "Just Lex or Lexan.

"Well, okay just Lex or Lexan, your seat it the third from the last in the second row." She says, point as if I can't count. I'm not that dumb!

"Yea, okay." I answer, carrying my stuff to the desk she said was mine. The girl in front of mine smiles.

"I'm Nik." She tells me. I'll admit that she's kind of pretty. Not as good-looking as Chris, but she's okay.

"Uh, hey. I'm Lex." I answer. I didn't want to be rude.

"You're new here right?" She asks.

"Nah, been going here awhile, just nobody could see me before." I answer. I couldn't help it. She smiles and tosses her hair over her shoulder. It's obvious she's one of those stuck up cheerleader types.

"Oh." She answers. Is she kidding me? 'Oh'?

"I think that was a joke, Nikki." The guy beside her tells her with arrogance. She only smiles again and turns around.

"I'm Bran." He tells me. I nod and unpack my things.

"How long have you been here?" He asks.

"First day." I answer.

"Oh, well, I'll have to introduce you to some guys." He tells me. Whatever, I think, but don't have time to tell him. The teacher tells us to take out our books, and starts teaching.

"I'll find you at lunch." He whispers, and I kind of hope I die before then.

Do I die? No. My luck could never be that good. I managed to get through Lit and math without a problem, I figured lunch would be a breeze. I've never been so wrong in my entire life.


	21. Chapter 21: Fireworks

Chapter 21: Fireworks (**Skywriter's Point of View**)

'The guys' that Bran introduces me to, are no more than a few punk eighth graders that think they're cooler than they actually are. Bran found me at lunch, like I was hoping he wouldn't, and took me out behind the back of the school, where these 'guys' hung out. Or ate lunch. Or pretended to be cool. Whatever they did, it was stupid. I know Bran thought they, as well as himself, were pretty tuff, but I've seen more intimidating first graders.

"Who's the new kid?" One of the guys asks, with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. I wonder if he even knows how to smoke it, since it's not even lit.

"Guys, this is Lex. Lex, this is the guys. Tommy, Zach, and D.J." Bran says with a sly smile on his face. I roll my eyes at their pathetic attempts to impress me.

"Well, uh, I'm hungry. So, I'll see ya guys!" I tell them, turning around.

"What? You're leaving so soon? We haven't even got to the good stuff yet." D.J whines in that trying-to-be-mysterious kind of way.

"Trust me. Whatever drugs you have I've already tried." I answer without turning back. I'm pretty sure it's true too. Bran lets out a laugh.

"Nah man. No drugs. Drugs are for parties." Bran says, and something in his voice convinces me to turn around. He holds up some colored sticks and I know instantly what they are.

"Fireworks." Zach tells me, encase I'm stupid I guess. I lift my eyebrows in mild interest.

"And what do you boys plan on doin' with those, I wonder?" I ask, returning back to my previous spot in their circle.

"Hey, what are fireworks for?" Bran whispers, slinging an arm across my shoulders.

"Setting off." I answer, returning his smug look with a grin of my own.

**Darry's Point of View**

"Hey Darrel! Darrel Curtis!" Ron calls from the ground. I stop nailing the boards and look down at him.

"The boss wants to see ya'. Says you have a call." He tells me. I sigh with anticipation and anger. 'A call' is never a good thing. I walk inside the company building, and meet my boss at his office where he's holding out the phone.

"Make this quick." He says to me with a glare. It's not the first time I've got 'a call' at work.

"Hello?" I ask into the phone.

"Is this Darrel Curtis?" The woman on the other line asks.

"Yes ma'am it is." I answer, bracing myself.

"This is Principal Woodland of Tulsa Middle School." She informs me. "We have a Lexan Johnston here, says you're his guardian."

"Yes, that's correct." I tell her. She sighs and I can feel her annoyance.

"You need to pick him up. There's been a….situation."

**Skywriter's Point of View**

Okay, I'll admit it was wrong. Wrong and stupid. But I couldn't resist. There aren't many things I like more than beer, but fireworks is one of them. I find them fascinating. Apparently, Principal Woodland, couldn't disagree more.

"Do you boys realize that this is going on your permanent record? You could have been arrested for this, had Coach Williams or I chose to press charges." she tells us. I'm not so sure how many times she's said this already, but it's starting to get old. My permanent record is already ruined anyways, so I don't find it that big of a deal.

"Principal Woodland, I'm Darrel Curtis." Darry introduces himself, walking into the office. Bran and the other guys parents are already here, and they don't look too happy. I just keep my eyes on my hands, and avoid Darry's gaze. I'm not sure if he has a limit, but if Buck's wasn't it, this will certainly push him over the edge.

"Have a seat." Principal Woodland tells him, gesturing to the chair beside mine. I sit up uneasily. All the other parents in the room give their kids angry glances, as well as each other. Hey, everyone wants to think that their kid is perfect I guess. Darry sits down, luckily not saying anything, but his eyes are eating right through me.

"Your children-boys-set off fireworks in the gym during lunch. Where they got them, or why they set them off, I don't know. What I do know however, is that there is a damaged basketball floor, and a ruined wall. Both will take and money to repair. Luckily for you parents, insurance will pay to fix them, however I think the boys should be the ones to clean up the gym, since they were the ones who messed it up. Now, we've decided not to press charges, but this will go on their record, and they will be suspended for one week. Are there any questions?" Principal Woodland manages to say this, seemly without taking a breath. When no one asks any questions, she tells us we can leave, and I wish more than anything that I had a cigarette.

**Darry's Point of View**

I can't believe this! First Buck's and now this! Jesus Mom and Dad, look what happens when you don't take care of your kid. I feel like I could explode at any second, and it wouldn't take much either. By the time the principal released us, it was about time for Pony and Soda to be home from school, so I know I better get all my yelling done out in the truck.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Is the first thing I want to know. It's pretty much rhetorical, since I know he wasn't thinking a damn thing, but I ask it anyways. Sky is startled by my sudden outburst, and shifts in his seat uneasily.

"Um…I've always been found of fireworks." He mutters. For the love of God! I want to strangle this kid.

"You've always like fireworks huh? Do you realize you could have gone to prison?! Then, you would have been taken away from me, probably put into foster care, and you could forget about ever having a future!" I scream. I know I have a temper, and I probably shouldn't yell, but I can't help it. The thing that scares me most, is it's like Sky is immune to it or something. It doesn't bother him like it does Soda or Pony. He just shrugs and slouches in his seat.

"You're blowing this way out of proportion." He says calmly. I can feel my eyes go wide and my knuckles go white from clutching the steering wheel so hard. I slam on brakes and pull over to the side of the road, getting the middle finger from the guy behind me.

"_I'm blowing this outta proportion_?! Are you kidding me?!" I scream. Sky looks at me with concern, maybe surprise that I've actually pulled over, but he still doesn't look scared. Am I trying to scare him?

"You know what? Maybe I should just turn around and tell the principal to press charges! Maybe I should just stick your ass in jail for a month or so!" I yell. His eyes grow wide, and I could almost jump for joy, at getting a reaction out of him at all.

"No! No, don't! I've been once, and I don't want to go again! Please!" He begs. I've never seem him actually upset before. Actually _asking_ me not to do something.

"Why shouldn't I? You're obviously not sorry for it! If you go to juvenile for a while, maybe you won't be so proud about nearly burning the school down." I say, determined to psych him out about this jail thing. I mean, whatever works.

"I didn't nearly burn it down. 'Sides I was doing good the first half of the day. Then I met Bran and he introduced me to his friends. I-I just did it I guess. Without thinking. I'm sorry though. Really. I don't want to go to jail. I'll stay in my room. I'll stay out of trouble." Sky pleads so quietly I can barely hear him. Now he's sounding like Pony. Or…like a scared kid. I've never even seen him act like a kid before, let alone a worried and scared one.

"You'll stay outta trouble?" I ask doubtfully, but more calmly. He nods but doesn't say anything.

"How do I know that?" I continue. He looks at me for a second, and them looks back down at his hands.

"I…just 'cause I will." He answers finally, which isn't an answer I'm proud of, but at least it's something.

"I'm going to move you out of Bran's class. I'll make sure you don't have any classes with any of those kids. You're to stay away from them, understand?" I ask firmly. He nods.

"Tell me." I snap.

"I understand." He whispers. I sigh and start the truck up, heading home. We park in the driveway, and I can see the craziness inside the house, from the truck.

**Pony's Point of View**

As soon as Darry and Lexan walk in, I can tell it hasn't been a good day. 'Course, I should of known that before hand, since Darry was driving Lex home to begin with. Darry wasn't supposed to get off work until five-thirty, and here he was home at three.

"Hey buddy, how was your first day?" Soda asks Lex, who gives him a half smile before looking back down at the floor.

"Horrible." He groans. I know that he musta go chewed out by Darry or something, 'cause I've never seen em' so…quiet.

"You okay?" I ask him. He shrugs and shakes his head.

"Skywriter, you have ten seconds to get to your room." Darry tells him harshly. I kind of flinch at his tone. I give Lex a sympathetic look, and he walks down the hallway to his room.

"I'm guessing horrible is an understatement." Soda comments, sitting down on the couch. Darry gives him a 'you have no idea' look and sits at the kitchen table, flipping through the mail.

"So, I heard about the little forth of July celebration that went on at the kiddie school." Two-bit says, coming into the room with a goofy smile on his face.

"Blondie doesn't have anything to do with it, does he?" Two-bit asks.

"Man, word travels fast." Darry says in a tone that tells me Lex had everything to do with it.

"Well, ya know, I am very into current issues. And Kiddies blowin' up school gyms is defiantly high on the interest scale." Two-bit explains.

"He blew up the school gym?" I ask with a mix of shock and impression. I'd never have the guts to do anything like that. Two-bit gives me a smirk.

"Fireworks. Him and his buddies put on a show. Two bad I couldn't of been there to watch it." Two-bit answers.

"What happened?" Soda asks Darry, who's been trying to pretend he wasn't listening. Darry sighs and comes into the kitchen, flopping down on the couch beside Soda.

"Our kid brother set fireworks off in the school gym." Darry confirms, and I swear I saw a hint of amusement in his eyes.


	22. Chapter 22: Late Night Show

Chapter 22: Late Night Show (**Skywriter's Point of View**)

Kate calls everyday, and sometimes I swear she does it just to annoy me. Recently though, I haven't minded as much, since I haven't been able to do anything besides school work and cleaning the school gym. It's Saturday now, and I get to go back to school this Monday. I never thought I would be happy to go back to school, but I've been bored as hell. Dally, Johnny, Two-bit, and Steve, have been over almost everyday. Steve and Johnny even spend the night a lot of times. Nights are god-awful, since Pony still has nightmares. I've noticed that Darry gets onto Pony a lot about schoolwork, and on school nights, it takes a miracle for Pony to be able to even leave the house. Right now Pony, Johnny, and I are in the living room, while the rest of the guys play poker in the kitchen. Darry is even playing, since he just got off work.

"Darry, Johnny and I are going to go see a movie alright?" Pony asks. He must really like movies, because him and Johnny go all the time. I can't tell if Johnny actually likes them or not though. I think he just likes to hang out with Pony.

"Okay. Be back by eleven." Darry answers, studying his cards. Pony looks at me, and then back at Darry.

"Can Lex come with us?" He asks.

"No way." Darry answers instantly.

"C'mon Dar, let the kid go." Dally tells him. I think Dally is one of the few people who aren't afraid of Darry.

"Yeah, I'll be good." I say, though I doubt it'll do much good.

"No, you're grounded." Darry says without budging.

"C'mon, hasn't he been grounded long enough?" Soda chimes.

"I can't believe that all of you are on his side about this. He set of fireworks in the school gym!" Darry argues. I kind of can't believe they're all on my side about this either. I guess people can surprise you.

"I cleaned it up though." I answer. He sighs and tosses in some coins in the center of the table.

"You stay with Pony and Johnny. Ponyboy, if you three aren't home at exactly eleven o clock, I'm sendin' out the troops." Darry warns. Pony rolls his eyes and I can't help but laugh.

"Yeah, okay. We'll be back on time." Pony answers. I'm so excited to be leaving the house, that I could really care less what we see or where we go. It's about six, so the sun is setting, and I'm looking forward to seeing Tulsa in darkness.

**Pony's Point of View**

Darry actually let Lex go, which is kind of surprising to me, but I'm glad. I think Johnny still feels a little uncomfortable around him, but Lex tries to be friendly. I've noticed how much he's changed since the first day he was here. He's still mouthy and rebellious, but he's trying harder. I wonder why.

"What kind of movies do you like?" I ask him. He lights up a cigarette and shrugs. He smokes almost as much as me.

"It doesn't matter. Thanks for getting me out of the house though." He answers. I smile and shrug back.

"I didn't actually think it was going to be that easy." I answer truthfully.

Once we get there, the three of us grab some popcorn, and look for some seats. We find some near the back of the theater and sit, waiting for the movie to start.

"Hey Lexan!" A girl calls from the entrance, making her way over to us. She looks about Lexan's age. Really pretty, and a soc no doubt. I've never seen her before.

"Hey Nik. What's goin' on?" Lexan asks. Nik sits beside him and glances at Johnny and I distastefully. I already don't like her.

"Who are _they_?" She asks. "Your friends?" Lex moves in his seat uncomfortably. It seems like he doesn't much like her either.

"Um, that's Ponyboy, my brother. And that's his friend Johnny." Lex tells her. I'm kind of surprised that he told her I was his brother.

"You two kind of look a like. Same eyes." She comments. "How old are you guys?"

"Sixteen." Johnny mumbles.

"Fourteen." I tell her. She gives a quick nod and then her eyes grow wide.

"Wait, you're Sodapop's brother, aren't you? He works at the DX with my best friend's brother." Nik says. I nod and wonder if she knew because of the first names.

"I knew you looked familiar. Lex, I didn't know Soda was your brother. I knew he had a younger brother, but I didn't know he had two." Nik says rather loudly. I hope the movie starts soon. She's starting to get on my nerves.

"Yeah well, I didn't know I was his brother either." Lexan tells her. "It's a long story." He adds when she gives him a questioning look. Finally the movie starts, and Nik finally stops talking. Of course, when we start walking home at about nine, Nik decides she wants to walk with us.

"So, who did you live with before you lived with Darry and Soda and Pony?" Nik asks. I exchange annoyed glances with Johnny, and Lex gives me an apologetic look.

"My sister Kate. Her and I have a brother named Dally." He answers. He eyes grow wide.

"Dallas Winston? That hood that dates that Sylvia girl?" She asks incredulously.

"He's not a hood." Lex says protectively. She rolls her eyes and skips ahead of us, facing us and walking backwards.

"If he's not a hood, then I'm a millionaire. That guy has a record a mile long!" She exclaims. I really wish I could hit her for talking about Dally, but I don't hit girls. Johnny looks especially angry.

"How about you just leave Dally alone!" Johnny says bitterly. Lex looks at him with surprise, and I'm a little shocked myself. Johnny hardly ever speaks, and especially not so angrily. I guess Johnny and Dally are pretty close though. Nik doesn't seem to see the anger.

"You know he was in a gang, when he was like, twelve? I think he got arrested at ten!" Nik informs us, like we don't already know.

"Nik, shut the fuck up!" Lexan yells. Her jaw drops and she stares at Lexan with furious eyes.

"You know Lexan Johnston, you're nothing more than a dirty hood yourself. No better than these other greasers you hang out with." Nik says arrogantly, spitting on him. Lex slaps her so hard, she falls to the ground, stunned.

"If you ever talk about me, my family, or my friends like that again, I swear I'll make your life a living hell." Lex snaps, spitting on her just as she had him. Johnny and I just stand there frozen, as Lexan continues walking towards our house.

"You guys comin'?" He asks over his shoulder, not even bothering to turn around. Johnny and I follow him, looking back at the girl on the sidewalk, sitting motionlessly, with her head in her hands.


	23. Chapter 23: White Trash

Chapter 22: White Trash (**Darry's Point of View**)

This week has been pretty good thus far, for a number of reasons. The main on being, all my brothers are back at school, and I haven't got anymore phone calls from the principal yet. Sky seems to be trying harder, actually doing school work, and him and Pony are getting along well. Soda seems to get along with him too, which is good. They've all actually been sleeping together this week, because of Pony's nightmares. Sky starts off in his bed, but Pony screams for him like he does for Soda and I. I think Soda likes it when Sky sleeps with them too, though he doesn't say anything about it.

Soda and I got into a fight on Tuesday, when he declared he was 'dropping out of high school to get a full time job'. I nearly lost it. I hate it that he thinks he has to help out. I really wish he would juts stay in school. But he made it clear that he hated it, that he was no good at it, and that he was dropping out no matter what I said. Of course, I did have some things to say about it, and Pony took Soda's side as always. Sky did the smart thing and stayed out of it, but eventually I gave in. I mean, I don't think I really had much of a choice, since Soda was at the age where he could drop out if he wanted too, but I'm still kind of upset about it.

The whole gang is over now, which I guess isn't all that surprising. Johnny, Pony, and Sky are in Pony and Soda's room doing who-knows-what, while the rest of the gang is tearing up the house. I'm trying to cook dinner, since it's already six, and Soda is on the phone with Sandy. Two-bit is flipping through the TV channels, Steve is making a pyramid of cards, and Dally is lighting up his fifth cigarette.

Someone knocks on the door and Two-bit rushes to it before I can even get out of the kitchen.

"We don't buy timeshare!" He announces, opening the door to a smiling Kate.

"Good, cause I aint sellin'." She answers. "Can I come in?" She asks to me. I nod and wonder why she didn't bother calling. She steps in and waves to Chris and Danny to follow. Great, this is just what I need.

"How are you guys?" Kate asks. I wonder if she even remembers the fight we had last time I saw her. If she does, she doesn't act like it.

"We're fine. 'Course, not near as fine as yourself." Two-bit answers. She blushes and gives Two-bit a friendly shove.

"Gimme a break. Where's Lex?" She asks. I nod to the room they're in, and Kate tells Chris and Danny that they can go say hi. They wander off down the hall.

"You want to stay for dinner?" I ask out of politeness. Her smile widens and she nods her head.

"Oh can I? I'd love to. I'm sure Danny and Chris would too. How's everything with you Dally?" Kate asks, sitting down on the couch beside her brother. I can't help but notice what a short attention span she has.

"Fine. Sylvia was being a little bitch earlier tonight, but what's new. She's always been a little bitch." Dally answers. So that's what his problem is.

"Hey, don't worry about her. I told you time and time again that you're too good for that whore." Kate answers, and I remember how Sky and his friends talked about Kate that day at her house. I wonder if anything they said was true. Sometimes Kate did look like a whore, and other times she didn't. Tonight was one of the times she didn't. She is wearing jeans and a blue top that goes well with her eyes.

"Yeah I know. Don't remind me." Dally answers bitterly. I go back to the kitchen to finish dinner, surprised to see Kate following me in.

"You need some help?" She asks real friendly. I shrug and point to the potatoes.

"You know how to peel potatoes?" I ask. She gives me an 'are-you-kidding-me look.

"Of course I do. You won't find a better potato peeler in all of Oklahoma." She tells me in a playfully arrogant way. I can't help but laugh.

"Okay then. I'm holding you to a high standard then." I tell her. She winks at me starts peeling.

"You just-" She starts, but is interrupted by a loud bang from the boys room.

"What in Gods name was that?!" Dally yells.

**Johnny's Point of View**

As soon as the words came out of Danny's mouth, I knew there was going to be trouble. Especially after last night with that girl. I've been called white trash quite a few times before, and I don't ever get worked up about it, but Lexan wasn't having his family called that by Danny. He grabbed Danny up my his shirt and flung him off the bed so hard, he smashed his head against the wall when he landed. Danny Hardly had time to stand up before Lex was on top of him, punching the daylights out of him.

"Hey, stop. Lexan let go!" Pony yells trying to break them up. I just stand by and watch, not wanting to get involved.

"What the hell?!" Darry screams, barging in the room. Lex turns around to explain, and Danny takes the chance to tackle him to the ground. Darry grabs Danny off of Lex, and Dally rushes into the room, hauling Lexan off the floor. Kate and the rest of the gang watch from the doorframe, wide-eyed.

"Someone want to explain what's going on here?" Darry yells. Pony stands against the wall beside me, and every is looking to Danny and Lex for answers. Neither one of them look like they intend on answering.

"It was something Danny said." I whisper, and everyone turns to me. Great, I had to open my mouth.

"What did he say?" Darry asks accusingly.

"What did you say Daniel?" Kate asks quietly but angrily.

"Nothing that wasn't true." Danny answers, and Lex lunges at him. Luckily, Dally tightens his grip around him before Lex can hit him. Honestly, I don't think Danny stands much of a chance against Lex, even though he's older. Lex has quite a temper.

"Fuck you!" Lexan Screams.

"Skywriter!" Darry yells, hushing him up.

"Danny-" Kate starts again.

"I said they were white trash! I don't regret it either, because it's true. Everyone here, with the exception of Chris, is white trash." Danny yells. Chris's eyes go wide at the mention of her name. She's been quiet since the fight started.

"Just get him outta my house." Darry says, I guess for lack of anything else to say. I feel like that a lot of times. Not really sure of what to say.

"You know Lexan, you've turned into a real prick since you moved here!" Danny yells, as Kate drags him out of the house by his wrist. Chris follows without saying a word.

"A real prick! You're not my friend anymore!" Danny continues to scream all the way out to the car. Kate runs back inside, apologizes to Darry, and then runs back out to car, starting it up and driving away. We all just stand there for a minute, not saying anything.

"I need a smoke." Lex says finally, breaking free of Dally's grasp and walking onto the first porch.

"Man. I didn't even get her number." Two-bit says, following him.


	24. Chapter 24: Lex

Chapter 24: Lex (**Darry's Point of View**)

Lex is on the front porch, smoking his lungs out. He's been out there nearly an hour, and I wonder what's going on inside that head of his. Soda and Pony have already had they're 'talk' sessions with him, and I know I should be out there now. I'm just not sure of what to say to him. I watch him light another cigarette, and then decide to go talk to him before he dies of lung cancer.

"Hey." I say to him, sitting on the stairs beside him. He gives me a questioning look, then softens his face, and nods his head.

"Hey." He answers.

"Rough night?" I ask, even though I know I don't have to. He lets out a sarcastic laugh and nods again.

"You could say that." He answers. We sit together in an awkward silence, and I wonder if he wishes I would leave.

"You know…even though I don't really like fight, I'm glad you stuck up for us. You know, to your friend." I tell him. He takes a long drag on his cigarette and let it out.

"You know…I'm not sure he is." He answers. I look at him with confusion.

"He is what?" I ask. He looks at me, and I feel like I did when he looked at me at Kate's for the first time. Like he was taking in every detail about me.

"My friend." He answers simply. "I'm not so sure he was ever my friend." I nod, finally understanding.

"You know Lex, sometimes, people are only there for you when you're who they want you to be. When you fit that mold that they've created you for. And, when you try thinking for yourself, they drop you so fast it could make your head spin." I tell him. He looks at me with surprise, and I know it's because we've never really talked like this before. I've always been some inhuman robot before, instead of the brother I should have been all along. I think about Pony. I need to talk to him too.

"Yeah. But it sucks, don't you think?" He asks, looking at me with genuine curiosity. I shake my head.

"No. I don't think it sucks. You know why?" I ask him. He shrugs and shakes his head.

"Because it makes it easier to show who your real friends are. The friends that are always there for you no matter what. Those are ones you've got to hold onto." I explain. He flicks the ashes of his cigarette on the ground, and stands at his shoes.

"What if you don't have friends like that?" He asks me. I throw my arm around his shoulders and nod to the house.

"They're not easy to find. You have to look hard. But I can promise that you'll always have three brothers like that. Or…four." I tell him, smiling at the fight coming in side the house between Two-bit and Steve. Those two were something else.

"C'mon, let's go see what's going on." I tell him standing up. He follows my movements, but stops when I open the door.

"What is it?" I ask when he doesn't say anything.

"You called me Lex." He answers. I nod, smiling.

"Yeah. I did."


	25. Chapter 25: Keep No Secrets, Tell No Lie

Well, this is the last Chapter. I'm finally done with my first Fan Fiction. Thanks to each of you who gave advice and read this story. I may or may not write another. Keep a look out Just incase. Thanks again,

Logan Parker

Chapter 25: Keep No Secrets, Tell No Lies (**Lexan's Point of View**)

It's been almost a week since the fight with Danny. I hate it that we aren't friends anymore, but there was no way I was going to choose him over my family. They may be new, but I still like them. It's true, I only pretend to be annoyed with them. Though, it doesn't take much pretending with Darry. Kate and Darry have been hanging out a lot, and I'm not too sure why. They certainly aren't at all a like, and they fight all the time. Still, they seem to like each other. I guess it's really none of business. Though, I can't help but imagine the looks I would get if I told people my sister was dating my brother. It doesn't matter that they're not related. It just sounds funny. Anyways, they're not dating yet, so I guess it doesn't matter.

Dally is back with Sylvia, which is crazy if you ask me. They cheat on each other all the time, and still they get back together. Unlike Darry and Kate, Dally and Sylvia are so much alike it's not even funny. If they're not cheating on each other, they are talking about each other. And if they're not doing either one, they're making out at Buck's or at our house, or anywhere else they find the urge to make out at.

As for Chris and I, well, that's history. Soda keeps telling me that it's no big deal, since I'm only twelve, and there will be other girls. But I can't help but kind of miss her. Or maybe I just miss being with someone. I wonder now if that's why Johnny's parents stick together, despite their arguments that can be heard from miles away. They're both afraid to be alone. God I hope I never get that desperate.

School is better I guess. I do okay in class, minus the typical problems. Nagging teachers, avoiding Nik and Bran, and trying to go a day without getting detention. I am happy to report though, that I haven't set off any more fireworks. Some things can only be done once.

Pony is really smart. He makes all A's and can normally explain something to me if I don't understand it. He was kind of upset when Soda dropped out, even though he didn't mention it, but he understands why. Soda has a full time job with Steve now at the DX. He always worked there part-time, but now he's there all the time. He likes it a lot, you can tell, and I'm glad that he's doing something he likes. Pony, Johnny, Two-bit, and I, sometimes go and say hi to him after school. He always seems glad to see us. Steve on the other hand…

The gang all in all, is an okay bunch. Even though Darry, Soda, and Pony don't have parents, they look out for each other, and they're there for each other in need. I never knew what a real family was until I met them, so I owe them a lot more than I'll admit to. I've realized that even though I may have lost Danny and Chris and the other friends I used to hang out with, I've gained a lot more in return. I guess the only way to gain something, is to lose something.

As for my parents, well, who knows what went on between Dally's father and the Curtis's mother? Maybe it was just a one night stand, maybe it was an all out love affair, either way it doesn't matter. I don't consider them my parents, but I'm not holding a grudge. I won't spend the rest of my life wondering about my parents mistakes. They're not my problem, so I shouldn't have to deal with them. That was then, this is now, and being bitter isn't going to change anything. Pony, Darry, Soda, and the gang, are the only family I need. My parents kept secrets and told lies, and families aren't supposed to do that to each other. That's not to say I'll never keep a secret or tell a lie. I mean honestly, they're too damn fun to give up.


End file.
